Arlington Arts Center PICTURING POLITICS 2008: Artists Speak to Power Curated by Rex Weil August 15 - September 27 The intersection of art and politics will be the subject of an exhibition organized by Washington artist, independent curator, and critic Rex Weil. The show will examine a wide array of strategies in contemporary visual arts for addressing controversial issues and promoting social change in a political landscape dominated by mass media.
Curated by Rex Weil, who serves as a Contributing Editor for ARTnews and teaches at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Art League Gallery Presence Edward J. Reed September 5 - October 6 Reed’s solo exhibit at The Art League Gallery, features new works that capture individuals and emotions within a deeper narrative context more
Failing Light, Edward J. Reed
The Art Gallery University of Maryland The Archive's Shadow Lynn Cazabon To Remain Lynn Cazabon September 3 - October 17 The Art Gallery presents two exhibitions in September that explore perceptions of time, Lynn Cazabon: The Archive’s Shadow, and To Remain. Lynn Cazabon: The Archive’s Shadow features works from Cazabon’s ongoing project Discard. To Remain, addresses the question, “what does it mean to remain?” The exhibition features projects by Kelley Bell, Mandy Burrow, Cindy Rehm, Steven H. Silberg, and Jason.Sloan.
Discarded films are the focus of Lynn Cazabon: The Archive’s Shadow. The title of the exhibition is, in part, a play on words; some of the featured discarded films come from the National Archives, but the title also speaks to the films removal from the public record. Regarding the project, Cazabon states, “In its totality, Discard is a kind of shadow archive, reflecting that which has been omitted from institutional archives.”
Visually, the Discard images are captivating: filmstrips dance across the surface in the triptych, Discards 2 (The National Archives, College Park, MD), 2008; and defy gravity as they roll, spin, and hover in the triptych Discards 3. Conceptually, they are equal parts relics, post-mortem photographs, and modern day allegories. As Cazabon describes, “At the start of the Discard project, I was interested in the notion of collapsing time: by showing a film in its entirety, the period of time it contains or represents is collapsed and displayed as one moment. With this group of prints, I felt I was offering opportunity to contemplate a film in its totality, transforming the normally fugitive experience of perceiving each frame of film passing one after another before your eyes into a kind of eternal moment, one existing outside time and space.”
The exhibition, To Remain, examines how we, as individuals choose to mark time. The significance of why we mark time, why we choose to leave a record, is examined through the work of five artists included in the exhibition. Remain as a verb has contradictory meanings, to stay, to abide, to continue, to go on. This exhibition poses the question, “What does it mean to remain?”
Kelley Bell collapses one hundred fifty years of development in the city of Baltimore to a four-minute animated tale that could be representative of all urban cities; chronicling society’s desire for change in conflict with its desire for stasis. She refers to her animation, The Rise and Fall in the Land of Pleasant Living, and their “on-location” screenings on city buildings as both a “beacon and a revenant.”
Mandy Burrow’s mixed media installations extend our perceptions of cultural relics; visual, tactile, and olfactory sensations place us in the present to consider the past and the future. In The Elko Farm Project (2008), she accumulates the ephemera of everyday life to create a type of memento mori in her installations. In an interview, Burrow states, “On a societal level, The Elko Farm Project reveals an irreversible change in our country. Generational farming on a family-owned estate was a once prevalent way of American life, but it is now rapidly crumbling before the continual onslaught of Urbana. What is more, this prevailing lifestyle carries with it a sense of alienation that challenges the notion of community and home…. On another level, the project addresses our notions of narrative. By linking the gallery space with the farm’s external time and place, I want to challenge the viewer’s perception of narrative…. Perhaps narrative is no different than life – messy, immanent and always now.”
Cindy Rehm believes that remnants of the human spirit are embedded in performance, a media in which sensations trigger memory. As we become more removed from cultural rituals, Rehm hopes to return us to some of our simple rituals as a reminder that our memories are valuable possessions. In Memoir, Rehm collapses the experiences of many people into a set of basic instructions; the simplification offers freedom to develop these gestures through continuing reinterpretations based on our expanding personal experience. The instruction for Hugs, “give hugs,” is profoundly simple and yet essential for a sense of community and affection. By reinterpreting these simple rituals again and again, we add to our unique personal experience and our place in historical time.
Steven H. Silberg uses digital technology and programming software to further degrade the notion of photographic truth and revel in the experimentation of data retrieval and manipulation. In his Pixel-lapse images, a program collapses a string of moments recorded through a digital camera into one image, creating an electronic ‘Cubist’ representation of time. Silberg plays within the capture and the loss of digital information, what remains as left behind and to continue.
Jason.Sloan collapses fields from several locations into one meta-field, proposing that our relationship to the land is not still. Sloan expands our perceptions and beliefs about the fields through extrasensory experience. Three fields are chosen for their personal, intellectual, and spiritual properties. Each is recorded through visual and aural electronic recording devices. Further extrapolations are made from the data retrieved at each location, and presented as visual images and sound compilations on audio cassettes. What remains of each landscape, after the information has been recorded and processed through electronic devices and Sloan’s intervention, speaks to the fragmented and mutable quality of memory.
The Art Gallery’s exhibitions and events are free and open to the public. The facility is wheelchair accessible and assistance for the hearing impaired can be arranged with advance notice by calling 301.405.2763. The Art Gallery’s hours are Monday through Saturday from 11:00am to 4:00pm with extended hours on Wednesday until 6:00 pm. The Art Gallery observes University of Maryland, College Park closings. For further information regarding this exhibition and future events and activities call 301.405.2763 or visit www.artgallery.umd.edu.
Blackrock Center for the Arts Montgomery College: Holocaust exhibit Portraits of Life September 24 - October 10 In a moving portraiture consisting of 36 panels, Portraits of Life provides visual imagery and personal histories of Holocaust survivors from Montgomery County. Each 24" x 36” panel contains photographs and a narrative of the individual survivor's story. Central to this living history is the focus on people from this region who have experienced horrors, yet managed to build new lives.
Civilian Art Projects Way Down in New Orleans Group show of New Orleans-based artists September 5 - October 11 Showing just days after the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Way Down in New Orleans unites an array of New Orleans-based artists with other artists nationwide, including: Marc Bianchi, Brice Bischoff,
Jacob Borndal,
Kyle Bravo & Jenny Leblanc,
Lauren Castle,
Chin Music Press,
Lisa Choinacky,
Mike Combs,
Constance,
Beth Dary,
Dirty Coast,
Aubrey Edwards,
Courtney Egan,
Skylar Fein,
Abby Gitlitz,
Kevin Golden,
David Grant,
Jenny Hart,
Brad Jensen,
Kid Camera Project,
Miranda Lake,
Kristin Littwin,
Leo McGovern & Jason Reeves,
Neighborhood Story Project,
New Orleans Craft Mafia,
Royce Osborn,
Marlowe Parker,
JR Portman,
Matthew Bonifacio Rodriguez,
Megan Roniger,
Beth Schindler & Summer Bethea,
Dread Scott,
Tabitha Soren,
Elizabeth Underwood,
David Wingo and
JT Yost.
Curators Office Potential Energy: Works on Paper Kate McGraw & Ann Tarantino September 13 - October 25 McGraw is based in Washington, DC, and Tarantino is based in State College, PA. The Potential Energy series arises from a years-long, extended conversation between the two artists. Each artist's work is essentially rooted in acts of performance and a reflection upon the simultaneous vulnerability and power of the physical self more
No. 64 (after six), McGraw & Tarantino
Del Ray Artisans PICTURE ME! The Artistic Self-Portrait in the 21st Century Del Ray Artisans’ All-Member Show September 12 - October 4 more
Fine Art and Artists Gallery Love, Brazil Almir Reis September 13 - October 11 Almir Reis, a Brazil native, is making his debut show in D.C. with his collection that captures the Brazilian culture with digital and film photography. Through photographs of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, he highlights the vibrancy of the country. The Embassy is celebrating Brazilian culture in September, contiguous to the September 7 Independence Day, with various events each week of the month.
Ipanema Tiles
Flashpoint Anti-Plastic Anthony Cervino September 5 - October 11 Cervino transforms the parts taken from toy model kits, in concert with plastic resin and paints, to construct low-relief sculptures on canvas. Situated somewhere between wall sculptures and paintings, these chromatically reductive works are evocative of architectural structures, disaster scenes and abstract landscapes. more
Gallery 50 Vintage in Motion Gary Medovich September 27 - October 16 more
Gary Medovich
Galerie Myrtis Stars and Stripes Pride or Despair Group Show August 30 - October 10 An exhibition featuring interpretations of the American flag which address the current social and political climate. Incorporating the field of stars and stripes, artists from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds celebrate, challenge, question, and redefine ideologies of democracy and patriotism. Featured artists: Maya Freelon Asante, Christine Batipps, Susan Brandt, Wesley Clark, Calvin Coleman, Megan Hilderbrant, Cynthnia Farrell Johnson, Jeffrey Kent, Ulysses Marshall, Bruce McNeil, Aїdah Aliyah Rasheed, Halide Salam, Desiree Sterbini, Rebecca Waring, Ann Marie Williams and Helen Zughaib.
American?, Jeffrey Kent, acrylic and oil stick on wood crate
International Visions Gallery Stolen/Still Standing Ulysses Marshall October 1 - October 30 “The intent of these works of art is to evoke memories of our passage from slavery to slaves. It is to appreciate the pride, strength, courage and dignity of surviving in a strange land. For without their suffering/pain and a history of their journey our freedom would not be possible.” - Ulysses Marshall
The Mask I Wear, Ulysses Marshall
Jane Haslem Gallery Sight Line I: Tracking Shot Peter Milton September 1 - October 4
Peter Milton
Marsha Mateyka Gallery Three American Masters Gene Davis Sam Gilliam Nathan Oliveira September 5 - October 11 Gene Davis - newly selected paintings from the Estate Sam Gilliam - new paintings Nathan Oliveira - newly editioned bronze sculpture
Maurine Littleton Gallery New Work Michael Janis, Allegra Marquart, & Tim Tate September 30 - October 18
McLean Project for The Arts The Limits of Language: Selected from 10 Years Jo Smail September 11 - October 25
Memory Full Pat Goslee September 11 - October 25
Contemplation on Nature Sangbok Lee September 11 - October 25
National Museum of the American Indian FILM INDIANS NOW! October - November 2008 NMAI’s Film and Video Center and the National Gallery of Art present an eight part screening series, imparting fresh views regarding the Native American experience as described in contemporary Media. Each program will include a moderated discussion on how media affects and empowers our collective image of what a Native person is.
October 4 Conversion (2006, 8 min) Director: Nanobah Becker. In a remote corner of the Navajo Nation, circa 1950, a visit by Christian missionaries has catastrophic consequences for a family. In Navajo with English subtitles.
Disney’s Pocahontas (1995, 84 min.) Directors: Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg Pocahontas lives a carefree life with her animal friends and loving Grandmother Willow, until a chance encounter with Captain John Smith begins a friendship that changes both cultures forever.
October 5 Club Native (2008, 78 min.) Director: Tracey Deer On the Mohawk reserve of Kanawake there are two firm, but unwritten rules: don’t marry or have children with a white man. Doing so means losing all status as a Native person, for you and your children. Documentarian Tracey Deer follows four Mohawk women, as they battle to protect their status as tribal members and the rights of their loved ones.
November 1 Tkaronto (2007, 102 min.) Director: Shane Belcourt Amidst the cityscape of Toronto, Ray and Jolene, two Native 30-somethings, make an unexpected and life-changing connection, as they navigate experiences of contemporary Native life.
November 2 It’s Not TV, It’s Indians! Three Native artists perform spoken word, song, and dance pieces inspired by their favorite “Indian” episode of television, offering a high-energy romper-room explosion of TV magic that will make you think about Native Americans in a new way. November 22 A Future Realized; Films by Today’s Indians A broad scope of the newest films—narrative, documentary, experimental— from some of the best Native American filmmakers working today: Jeff Barnaby (Mi’gmaq), Kevin Lee Burton (Swampy Cree), Dustinn Craig (White Mountain Apache/Navajo), Ramona Emerson (Navajo), and Andrew Okpeaha MacLean (Inupiaq)
November 23 THE DOUBLE ENTENDRE OF RE-ENACTMENT: An Interactive Program with Gerald McMaster.
Nevin Kelly Gallery Under Surveillance Group Show Curated by Ellyn Weiss and Sondra N. Arkin September 17 - October 8 This group show features works on a theme by local artists Scott G. Brooks, Groover Cleveland, Richard Dana, Anna U. Davis, Aziza Claudia Gibson-Hunter, Rosemary Luckett, Elizabeth Morisette, Ann Stoddard, Tim Tate, Ruth Trevarrow, and the curators themselves. more
Project 4 Friday Night Gun Fight Michael Scoggins September 20 - October 25 A solo exhibition of new works by New York-based artist Michael Scoggins. Making reference to Naive Art and Art Brut, Scoggins creates large-scale trompe l’oeil replications of scrawled sheets of notebook paper to voice obscure political and psychological opinions. When he reveals his ostensibly personal views and emotions, he does so in a manner that is direct, but distorted by humor and irony. more
"heller, june 26, 2008" marker, prismacolor on paper 67”X51” 2008
R Street Gallery Primal Landscapes Steve Lapin September 5 - October 25 A new series of paintings and sculptures by Steve Lapin
Distracted Heart, Steve Lapin
Randall Scott Gallery in between Julia Fullerton-Batten September 13 - October 18 Over the past two years, Fullerton-Batten has been gaining critical recognition for her "Teenage Stories" photographic series. She has had solo exhibitions in London, Madrid, Paris, and Berlin, as well as winning the HSBC Foundation Award for Photography in 2007. Her book "Teenage Stories" won the PDN 2008 book of the year award. Her work, which deals with the dynamics of adolescence, calls attention to the period in a young girls life when she is faced with the growing responsibilities of her teenage years, yet still unable to disengage from the fantasy life of a child.
Mirror, Julia Fullerton-Batten
Reeb Hall Artists Studio Open Studio Event October 19 The public is invited to visit and celebrate the artwork of 14 greater Washington, DC-area artists working at Reeb Hall Studios The artists will meet the public in their studios and discuss their work. The artists, many of whom have been exhibiting in the Washington area for more than 20 years, include Shahla Arbabi, Anne McGurk, Cynthia Young, Alice Whealin, Lee Vaughan, Carol Lopatin, Kebedech Tekleab, Phil Loiterstein, Rick Weaver, Bruce Williams, Beverly Chello-Donnenfeld, and Linn Woloshin. Two new artists have joined the studio this year: Jessica van Brakle, an award-winning painter and graduate of the Corcoran College of Art and Design, and Mark Giaimo, a former Pulitzer-prize nominated political cartoonist-turned-painter from Milwaukee, WI. Focusing on sculpture, painting, ceramics, and installation, the Reeb Hall artists offer an eclectic collection of works to the art community.
Reyes + Davis New Work Barbara Liotta September 5 - October 10 Sculpture
S. Dillon Ripley Center's International Gallery Jim Henson’s Fantastic World July 12 - October 5 This exhibition celebrates the incredibly prolific mind of Jim Henson (1936-1990)—artist, puppeteer, film director and producer. It offers audiences a rare peek into the imagination of this brilliant innovator and creator of Kermit the Frog, Big Bird and other beloved characters. One hundred original artworks, including drawings, cartoons and storyboards, illustrate Henson’s talent as a storyteller and visionary. Among the variety of exhibition objects are puppets and television and movie props, photographs of Henson and his collaborators at work and original video productions, including excerpts from Henson’s early career and experimental films.
Studio Gallery Secrets Of The Elements 2: The Unfinished Universe Langley Spurlock with John Martin Tarrat October 1 - October 25 Painting, collage, sculpture, prints and haiku meet the periodic table of the elements. Artist Langley Spurlock and poet John Martin Tarrat tell a story as old as Hydrogen and as new as Ununoctium in this unique fusion of art and verse.
MarkeDupliCity Matthew Carucci October 1 - October 25 Collages Phyllis J. Evans October 1 - October 25
Target Gallery Aftermath Juror: Laurel Reuter September 3 - October 12 Disasters Happen and Artists React: Aftermath takes a hard look at artists’ interpretations and reactions to natural and manmade disasters. As our juror, Laurel Reuter, Founder and Chief Curator of the North Dakota Museum of Art states, “Today’s artists are not asked to record the definitive history of their times but instead to give their contemporary audiences the means to understand their own times. Ours is not a contemplative society; artists often are. For some artists, like some writers, assume the role of moral compass.” more
Village of Friendship Heights Art Gallery Cut and Paste Kyi May Kaung, Patricia Zannie and Amy Kincaid September 3 - September 30 An exhibit of collages and collage-paintings
Washington
Sculptors Group Sculpture 1275
Dennis Beach August 4 - October 4 The first
in a series of sculpture solos to be featured in the lobby of 1275
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. In conjunction with the Axent Realty Group,featuring the work of Dennis Beach, who was
chosen by juror Anne Surak, Director of Project 4, a contemporary
gallery in Washington DC. Dennis Beach is both a sculptor
and a painter who creates sculptural forms derived from repetitive
processes that occur in nature. more
Zenith Gallery Singular Vision Julie and Ken Girardini Susan Klebanoff Joan Konkel September 5 - September 28 Featuring outstanding artists whose work stands out, inspired by their singular vision and manipulation of material, color, light and viewer perception. Working in three dimensions with canvas, metal, tapestry materials and mixed-media. more
