Installation Day at the BMA

Monday was installation day for the 2011 Sondheim Artscape Prize exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Each of the finalists has an entire room in the exhibit space. For my space, we installed 14 pieces, including two large panoramic images 38" x 75". The staff at the BMA was outstanding, and of course they did all the real work of hanging and lighting everything. Saturday the space opens to the public.

Sondheim Artscape Prize: 2011 Finalists Exhibition

Exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art

June 25 through August 7, 2011

In conjunction with Artscape, Baltimore’s premier arts festival organized by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, the BMA presents a special exhibition of works by the finalists for the Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize. The finalists this year are Stephanie Barber, Louie Palu, Mark Parascandola, Matthew Porterfield and Rachel Rotenberg. The winner of the $25,000 prize will be announced at a special award ceremony at the BMA on July 9. 

Named after the late Baltimore civic leader Walter Sondheim and his late wife, Janet, the Sondheim Artscape Prize recognizes the achievements of visual artists living or working in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and southeastern Pennsylvania. The semi-finalists, finalists, and winner are all chosen by an independent panel of jurors. This year’s jurors are Polly Apfelbaum, a New York-based artist; Isolde Brielmaier, curator, writer, and creative consultant; and Tina Kukielski, a curator with Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Art. An exhibition of works by the semi-finalists is on view at the Maryland Institute College of Art July 14 - 31, 2011.

Dates: June 25 2011 though August 7 2011
Address: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive Baltimore, MD 21218
Cost: Free exhibition

If you want to find out more information about the exhibition visit the BMA’s Website:

http://www.artbma.org/index.html

Artomatic Takes Flight at DCA

Just passed through here again today -- the show comes down June 25.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

DC Modern Luxury at FotoDC Flash! Opening

DC Modern Luxury magazine posted photos from the opening for the FotoDC Flash! Exhibit. It was a fun event with lots of area photographers. Here with photographer Frank Turner and Philippa Hughes. 

"DC’s art set flocked to Crystal City for the much-anticipated sneak peak of FLASH, FotoDC’s posh pop-up photo gallery featuring the specially selected works of new and local favorites ..."

Check out the event photos here:

http://www.modernluxury.com/dc/scene/strike-pose/img10815

The Uncover Series: Curator Amanda Maddox's selections at FotoDC Flash

FotoDC's Uncover Series, part of the current Flash exhibit in Crystal City, has  a story behind it (and some basic math): On Sunday, February 6th, five industry  experts gathered at the Corcoran Gallery of Art & College of Design, to meet and  review the work of 165 regional photographers who had responded to the call from FotoDC for submissions.  Each curator selected five photographers whose work  represented a cohesive and creative vision, with technical excellence, for a total representation of twenty-five.

Four of my panoramic photographs of the old Spaghetti Western film lots in Almeria, Spain, were selected for this exhibit by Amanda Maddox, Associate Curator of Photography and Media Arts at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. She organized her selection around the theme of the road and the views it provides us into real and imagined lives. Here is her text that accompanies the exhibit panels:

 

In his seminal text On the Road, Jack Kerouac declared “it’s an anywhere road for anybody anyhow.” This maxim applies to many contexts and travelers alike, but it resonates with a tradition specific to the history of modern and contemporary photography. On the open road, zigzagging across state lines, such pioneering photographers as Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand, and Walker Evans located moments of irony, mystery, and chance. Their idiosyncratic observations of life, taken from car windows and street corners, mesmerize with a quiet lyricism. Other photographers, such as Jeff Wall and Philip-Lorca diCorcia, tell stories of how we live by staging images on the street.

Roads and streets serve as familiar terrain in these works by five local photographers. Alongside American highways, Nicholas Syracuse and Daniel Kempner isolate an anonymous population that comprises the everyday fabric of the nation. Jeff Deemie and Mark Parascondola go behind the scenes in two towns—a small Texas community and a long-abandoned Spaghetti Western stage set in Spain—to reveal the waystation as a complex, elusive landscape. The journey itself (and all of the places in between) takes center stage in Brady Robinson’s featured projects Transfer and Shift. For Robinson, and for the other photographers, the seemingly unremarkable byways constitute an anywhere road. These roads lead us to vital places, and to the heart of things.

Flash!

FLASH will feature 250 photos, 55 photographers and a library of 150 photo books. The 12th and 13th floors of 2450 Crystal Drive will be transformed into a gallery of photography, featuring a multitude of new works. The expansive space will be split up into two locally curated shows, with space dedicated to individual photographers.

One of the exhibits features works selected by a high profile judging panel that chose 25 photographers to display five photos each (125 photos total). The high-profile judging panel included: Philip Brookman, chief curator and head of research at the Corcoran Gallery of Art; Avi Gupta, photo editor at U.S. News & World Report; Philippa Hughes, chief creative at Pink Line Project, Amanda Maddox, associate curator of photography and media arts at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Molly Roberts, photography editor at Smithsonian Magazine. The other exhibit includes 30 photographers that were selected by a FotoDC panel of reviewers that features another 125 works.

In addition to photography, the space will contain a lounge and bar where visitors can browse through top photography books from around the world. FLASH will represent a total photographic immersion featuring works from across the thematic spectrum - from documentary to fine art with every genre represented.

Information about all FLASH-related events

Info.:	http://www.crystalcity.org/do/flash
Where:	2450 Crystal Drive; Arlington, VA, 22202 Metro: Crystal City

FLASH Gallery Hours:
March 17-April 17, 2011
Mondays and Tuesdays: closed (available for private events)
Wednesdays and Thursdays: 5 PM – 10 PM
Fridays: 5PM - 11 PM; Saturdays: Noon – 11 PM; Sundays: Noon – 7 PM

FLASH Special Event Details:
Thursday, March 17, 2011: VIP/Press Private Reception. Press must RSVP (details below)
Friday, March 18, 5 PM - 11: Opening Night Party 8-11 PM
Saturday, April 16, Noon - 11: Closing Party 8-11 PM

Artomatic Takes Flight: Special Exhibit at National Airport

I'll have a photograph in this Artomatic exhibit at National Airport ...

What: A special exhibit featuring pieces by 83 Artomatic artists

Where: Reagan National Airport, in the hallway connecting to Terminal A

When: March 3 to June 25, 2011

The exhibit features 83 artworks, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional. It taps into the more than 1,500 artists in the Washington-area creative community who participate in Artomatic events. In the spirit of Artomatic, artwork was accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Stroll through the exhibit any time or attend the opening reception Thursday, March 10 from 6 to 8 pm, mingle with the artists and hear live music.

Mirror To The World

"Abandoned Lace Factory" by Michael Borek

Mirror To The World: Documentary Photography 2011

March 11 - April 17, 2011

Opening Reception: Friday, March 18, 6-9 p.m.

 

Photoworks Gallery in historic Glen Echo Park is proud to present Mirror To The World:  Documentary Photography 2011.  Mirror To The World seeks to celebrate narrative photography -- story telling with photos and words.  This exhibit represents some of the best in documentary photography, by a local group of six not-yet-famous photographers.  Curated by nationally recognized documentary photographer and author, Frank Van Riper, this show offers a series of intimate "picture stories"  -- including an exploration of abandoned prisons, a rehearsal and performance by the Folger Consort, and a woman-on-the-street view of a raging fire in Brooklyn.  As Van Riper states, "It will, as always, be a hell of a show."

 

Participating Artists:

1. Michael Borek- Scranton Lace  (A pictorial study of an abandoned lace factory in Pennsylvania)

2. Claudia Copeland- 'A Concord of Sweet Sounds'  (Images from the Folger Consort)

3. Rachel Eisley- Fire in Brooklyn (A vacant tenement burns in the snow)

4. Mark Parascandola- Relics (Studies of abandoned buildings -- including a Spanish prison and a remote military installation)

5. Erica Wissolik- The Carrie Furnace (One of the last great steel mills in Pittsburgh...)

6. Eric Zhang- Rituals (Three slices of life from the DC area:  Way of the Cross, No Pants Day, and Sharing the Dream)

 

Exhibit hours are Saturdays, 1-4 p.m. and Sundays and Mondays, 1-8 p.m.  Photoworks Gallery is located in historic Glen Echo Park, Maryland.  Visit www.glenechophotoworks.org for more information.  Exhibit is free to the public.

Landscapes de un Sueño: Opening Reception March 5

Opening Reception

Saturday, March 5, from 5:00pm to  8:00pm

A unique tasting menu and beverages will be paired with selected works.

The Evolve Urban Arts Project is pleased to announce Like Nowhere I've Been: Landscapes de un Sueño featuring photographer Mark Parascandola and visual artist John M. Adams.  The exhibition examines how these two DC-based artists create and document artificial, man-made landscapes conceived from elements of modern day visual and cultural reality.

Like Nowhere I’ve Been: Landscapes de un Sueño runs through April 23, 2011. The Project space is located in the Pierce School Lofts at 1375 Maryland Avenue, NE, in the H Street Arts and Entertainment District.

The Evolve Urban Arts Project enriches the lives of residents, neighbors in the H Street Community, and Washington, DC at large by providing free exhibition space to artists based in the metropolitan area. For further information, visit our website at http://art.evolvedc.com.

New Exhibit Coming in March -- Like Nowhere I've Been: Landscapes de un Sueño

Evolve Urban Arts Project Presents:
Like Nowhere I've Been: Landscapes de un Sueño
Mark Parascandola and John M. Adams
March 5, 2011 – April 23, 2011
Opening reception: Saturday, March 5, 5-8 pm

The Evolve Urban Arts Project is pleased to announce Like Nowhere I’ve Been: Landscapes de un Sueño featuring photographer Mark Parascandola and visual artist John M. Adams. The exhibition examines how these two DC-based artists create and document artificial, man-made landscapes conceived from elements of modern day visual and cultural reality.

Parascandola bases his landscapes in specific architectural detritus found in the arid Almeria province of Spain. The deserts of Spain played host to dozens of Spaghetti-Western film sets in the 1960s and 1970s. The genre, usually produced by Italians with Spanish technical support, mixed actors from a multitude of ethnicities (including the rising Clint Eastwood) in portrayals of life along the Texas-Mexico border. Abandoned for decades, these “wild-West” sets remain in the desert, some restored as tourist sites and others left to decay. In the photo series presented here, Parascandola adroitly captures a Texas border town, as conceived by Italians, located in the Spanish hinterland. Like the Spanglish in the exhibition’s title, the landscape is neither truly Spanish or American, but an amalgamation of cultural waypoints.

In contrast to Parascandola, Adams’ landscapes conjure more ethereal, personal locales divorced from any discrete point on a map or specific moment in time. In these drawings Adams builds layers of graphite in a “process of repetitive mark making” that creates something delicately akin to atmospheric disturbances. According to Adams, “color scheme and composition remain ambiguously familiar, as if from an incomplete memory that is nonetheless vivid.” In these works, the cultural elements referenced are those that lay within our own minds; each viewer will experience something different depending on their own personal experiences, social and cultural backgrounds. Ironically, the resulting “landscape” is created by the viewer – and only begun by the artist.

Mr. Parascandola is a member of the Mid-City Artists based in Washington, DC. His full portfolio is available at www.parascandola.com. Mr. Adams holds an MFA degree from James Madison University as well as a BFA from VCU Arts. He works as a local arts educator and maintains a studio in Arlington, VA. His full portfolio is available at www.thefullempty.com.

Like Nowhere I’ve Been: Landscapes de un Sueño runs through April 23, 2011. The Project space is located in the Pierce School Lofts at 1375 Maryland Avenue, NE, in the H Street Arts and Entertainment District.

Mondays through Thursdays: 1-5pm
Fridays: 1-7pm
Saturdays: 11am -2pm

The Evolve Urban Arts Project enriches the lives of residents, neighbors in the H Street Community, and Washington, DC at large by providing free exhibition space to artists based in the metropolitan area. For further information, visit our website at http://art.evolvedc.com.