Yes! It’s that time again! Gallery cleanup. We de-installed the ’10 12×12 show, several artists artists in the show helped take down the work and organize it for pickup. Then Grayson and I started the process of bringing the gallery back to life. We filled holes, sanded, cleaned up previous drips, stripped the wall plates, tapped what we couldn’t remove, and started to roll paint. I must say this time around, it looks clean, the room itself is a great canvas for our next show!
Here’s Grayson Heck sitting at the desk we set up to sort the work that sold and make room for other artists to sign out work that didn’t sell. Collectors purchased 2 of David’s glass rockets, we asked him to bring more, we sold a 3rd, the on on the desk was the only one left! This show was quite successful and we look forward to doing it again next year.
We can see Zofie Lang, Kelly Perl, and a few other artists help us de-install the 2-d work on the walls.
To me, these perfectly clean walls are beauty. See the moveable walls with fresh paint on all 4 surfaces! A simple wonderful surface ready to display new work. There’s something extremely pleasing to see these walls ready to go; most likely it’s the excitement about the exhibition to come.
Here’s a second image of the left side of the gallery. Prepped, painted, and ready to hang! The next show is going to be a knockout! For a sneak preview, the title is, “Don’t feed the art…”
We are exceedingly excited to announce our May 12×12 exhibition. This is our 2nd Annual 12×12 exhibition. Last year this show had the highest foot traffic for the entire year. The energy will be at a maximum as our space will be filled with the fuel of creative energy, packed to the brim with great art.
This artist powered gallery fundraiser will show over 100 works of art by over 65 artists. All works in the show are under 1 square foot. The 12×12 2d work is augmented by a few 12x12x12 or smaller sculptures.
The $300 price cap and show’s proximity to the Hyattsville Art Festival will add to the frenzy of attention and art collection! www.hyattsvillearts.com
The show is located at The artdc Gallery, which represents primarily Washington, DC area artists.
We’ll have a soft opening reception to coincide with other neighborhood related events on May 8, 2010 from 7 to 9pm, while the main Artist’s reception will occur on the day of the Festival from 10am to 6pm on Saturday, May 22nd. The art will hang from May 1st to June 5th. Appointments can be scheduled here.
On April 10th, we had our opening reception for the Grayson’s View exhibition. Personally, we loved the art, and knew it would be a smash, but we had no idea of the level of attention that we would receive. The gallery was filled at capacity for the extent of the night, the band played on, and the patrons stayed to discuss the art! We were pleased with the mix of interesting and important visitors from UMD professors, George Koch of artomatic, art collectors and gallery directors..
With tremendous excitement we watched patrons spend time with the work, discuss it, and then talk with the artists. There was real interaction with the work which is the way it should be!
View a video snapshot of the reception here:
In the pictorial below, check out this spectacular building shot as Grayson and I adjust the lighting and final touches before the opening. See the size of this work all perfectly laid out in a 500 square foot room! This show does have large art with individual pieces expanding beyond 5ft!
The lay out of the show is topnotch, and the first work I notice entering the space from the street is Felicia Glidden’s “Duet.” We really wanted to find a way to develop a transition between the main gallery room and the smaller studio gallery. While Caroline Battle’s work expanded between several movable walls which was a new approach for us, we needed something to bring the separate rooms together.
Timothy Thompson’s installation ”Pariguayo” accomplished the task. Space transitions have been a difficult task and for the first time, this-site specific work has really allowed the 2 rooms to work well together! To the right, Audrey Sackner-Bernstein’s mixed media archival print / painting works light up our moveable walls, while Peter Gordon’s battle with obsolescent technology made us ask questions. The installations result in humor and serious future anxiety at the same time.
While curating the show, Grayson and I were talking about Peter’s work, and I couldn’t get Alexandra Zealand’s coffee filter works out of my head. So we invited her to join the show. There’s a connection between the repetitive material nature of their works. One filter or phone line isn’t enough. They hammer the idea in and create a new work out of old materials with a furious energy. As we move through this gallery process, I become more and more excited about site-specific work, and how they can change from space to space. Lexi’s work is a great example of that, since her filter works were created for her past exhibition at the Delaplaine in Fredrick, MD where they lived as wall installations. Here, we worked together to fly them with fishing line. During the show they would move and float with the air current.
Don’t let me stop here. Let’s take a look at Michael Booker’s work which is both a painting and site-specific as it’s drywall backing deteriorates and crumbles. The painting erodes and dies and it lives out it’s life from studio to gallery to gallery. I love work with a lifespan to it. I was simply blown away by Sarah Martin’s 6 ft square canvas work. Not only does the work, technique, and composition suit the work, it fits the space. It’s as if this painting was created to work with our gallery. A lucky collector needs to buy this work. We all know it’s difficult to sell large work, but this painting, “Untitled (circa 1973)” is worth the price tag. Buy it now, before it leaves the gallery!
We are blown away by the positive attendance to our Censored show. Thank you to those who stayed, and thanks to those who really looked at, and talked about it. With the mass local openings at the Design Studio Art Gallery, Violetta Markelou, and Cheryl Edward’s spaces, the energy was hopping. With 4 galleries marketing an opening, we’ve really developed some attention. I look forward to the next area group project. We’re creating a destination, and it’s working! Pics to follow…
Please join us for the opening of “Censored”, a show sponsored by artDC. “Censored” will be held at the artDC gallery in Hyattsville, MD. The opening will be Saturday, March 13th from 6pm to 9pm. Light refreshments will be served.
“Our theme, “Censored” is in response to the typical thought process that nudity is taboo. Our intention is to poke fun at the long-running practice of moral and societal censorship of art by covering the genitalia in each work with post-it notes. Visitors will be encouraged to take a sneak peek of what’s going on underneath the notes. The artists in this month’s show were specially chosen for their work in fine art nudes and erotica. The artists are Billy Monday, Chris Brady, Jerry Harke, Jesse Cohen, Kollin Bliss, Michael Woodward, Rahul Saha, Raju Singh, and Renee Woodward.”
HYATTSVILLE, MD– artdc Gallery, Design Studio Art Gallery, and Cheryl Edwards Studio will host this exhibit. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, February 14, 2010 from 1-5pm. The exhibit will run from February 8th – March 3rd 2010.
In collaboration with multiple Arts District galleries, we will work to create a movement in celebration of that wonderful time full of love. You know the day–February 14th! V-day. We will be developing a semi-all inclusive show that will be curated in one space, and then split between galleries. This movement goes beyond space limitations and activates the neighborhood through multiple gallery collaborations.
Saint Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14. There’s an energy which drives us to fall in love. Philosophers, scientists, and artists study it. Lust is an intense craving for one’s lover and has been a tremendous force in the creation of art and spirit. Lust is joyful and painful at the same time.
Dante compared it to the sweeping force of a whirlwind with no hope of escape to cleanse your soul and purge your minds from desire. Lust controls many of us with muscle truck unstoppable force! We are exploring lustful creativity with a tremendous, ground-breaking show which crosses individual gallery barriers. As a group, each gallery director will assist in curating the show. We will then divide the work between our spaces. Lust will create a movement for the month of February!
The art will range from publicly accessible art PG-13 to much spicier concepts! This is not an erotic art show. We need to explore this unstoppable whirlwind of fear, need, anxiety, love, and desire. Lust and love move deeper than sex, it’s power.
The artdc Gallery in the Lustine Center (appropriate name for the show!)
The Design Studio Art Gallery
Andrea Waldron Bates’ photo of the Lustine Center sign in celebration of the show.
The artdc Gallery gives back to supporting artists with a patrons’ exhibit.
HYATTSVILLE, MD (December 3, 2009) – The artdc Gallery will feature a Patron Members’ Exhibition from December 6, 2009, to January 3, 2010. A reception, open studio, and cash-and-carry event, titled “Cool Yule Arty Party,” will be held on Saturday, December 12, 2009, from noon to 6 p.m. The doors open at 11am!
The gallery is located at The Lustine Center, 5710 Baltimore Ave., Hyattsville, Maryland 20781. Gallery visits are by appointment.
“This is a great way to give back to the patron members who support artdc’s discussion forum and other projects,” said gallery director and artist Jesse Cohen. “You’ll see an amazing variety of work in a broad range of mediums. If you’re looking to build your collection–or start one–this show brings together talented established and emerging artists in the metro DC area who offer unique, top-quality work at recession-friendly prices.”
On the same day, the “Cool Yule Arty Party” will also feature performances by 4 bands and a Legal Lecture by John Mason, and the amazing work from a fine group of local vendors selling their hand made Fine Art and Holiday Craft Items. The group is diverse ranging from DC Conspiracy graphic novelists to artists, and stunning crafters. Come support your local art scene and economy. Works in the Art Fair and Patron’s show are commission free. Continue reading
We had a tremendous reception for Michael Winger’s, “I cure myself…” We had a good number of people passionate about supporting a strong gathering of creativity. To celebrate, we were pleased to present 2 fascinating groups, the DCIC and Anorak. Find details about the bands can be found here. DCIC and Anorak both explored the limits and boundaries of creativity and improvisation in the moment. We thought the music was a fantastic addition to the artist’s reception. Patrons came to view the work, then stayed to enjoy the sounds gushing out of the studio.
“I cure myself…” is an exhibition developed by Michael Winger, a man, and an artist on a pathway to find solace in world where the medical system leaves you asking questions with an unsure fate for one’s health and well being. He’s been on a journey to cure his own bouts with Cancer. Through this process he’s developed art based on natural products, and the process is as important as the final out come of the objects.
On November 8th, a group of artists including Lauren Pond, Grayson Heck, and Jesse Cohen met at the Gallery to aid Michael in developing a one-o-a-kind gallery installation.
This work is an example great spiritual enlightenment.
We’ll have a limited supply of extra materials for you to build your own nest.
We would be honored to have you view this work before our Fringe Jazz Concert the same night. Details on the music can be found here.
Before developing this exhibition we wanted to get a better handle on Installation art, so we turned to the net, and read this link. Specifically, they write, “Installation art describes an artistic genre of site-specific, three-dimensional works designed to transform the perception of a space.” The end of that line is important, …designed to transform the perception of a space. That’s what the installation at “I cure myself…” does. You walk in, and there’s a perception of energy, peace, and tranquility.
We had a very positive time at the closing reception for Sculpture: 301. We has the opportunity to meet a large portion of the UMD art grad students. It was a warm crowd and they seemed excited about the show and our desire to collaborate. To us, there’s nothing like sharing tremendous art with the public, and this show certain gave us that opportunity. We send our thanks to Steven Jones for his curatorial energy!
