Seth Adelsberger: Semi-Final Frontiers and Chris Sims: Guantánamo Bay at Civilian Art Projects February 13

CIVILIAN ART PROJECTS is pleased to present solo exhibitions of new work by emerging American artists Seth Adelsberger (Baltimore, MD) and Christopher Sims (Durham, NC).

February 13 - March 14, 2009

OPENING RECEPTION:
Friday, February 13, 2009
7pm to 9pm

SETH ADELSBERGER: Semi-Final Frontiers

In his first solo exhibition with Civilian, Seth Adelsberger exhibits new paintings and a site-specific mural. Combining visual ingredients inspired by everyday occurrences and memory, Adelsberger creates complex, unconventional paintings of wild, exotic color. In the words of the artist, the new work "is where geometric architecture builds psychological masks and futuristic spaces. Elementary shapes and electric colors vibrate in a structured game of optical pinball." His work recreates the language of landscape inspired painting and takes it to another level, repeating symbols and shapes much like those found in the multi-colored vector graphics of 1980's video games. This personal glossary combines graffiti and nostalgic images to create a visual hypnotic language.

A graduate of Towson University, Adelsberger has shown work at Baltimore's CURRENT Gallery, Flashpoint in Washington, DC, and the Esther Prangley Rice Gallery at McDaniel College. His work has been juried into New American Paintings in 2003 (issue #45), 2005 (issue #57) and 2007 (issue #75) by Ingrid Schaffner, Senior Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art at University of Pennsylvania; Jonathan P. Binstock; and Jenelle Porter Associate Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, respectively. An essay by Baltimore based critic and writer Jack Livingston will accompany the exhibition.

Guantánamo Bay: Photographs by CHRISTOPHER SIMS
Curated by Amanda Maddox & Jayme McLellan

Civilian presents photographs by Christopher Sims depicting everyday life at the naval base and joint detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. It took Sims nearly three years to gain access to the base, which can be visited by civilians determined and patient enough to find the right channels to gain entry. A condition of his visit was that he was only permitted to shoot digital images, not negative film. Upon leaving the base, his work was inspected by military personnel and, with the exception of a few images, was deemed acceptable.

Shot in 2006, the images will be on view in the United States for the first time in this exhibition at Civilian. Unpopulated and lacking an overt political message, this work reveals a much-talked-about (but rarely seen) landscape as an outpost of the American commonplace: fast food restaurants and parking lots, prison cells, playgrounds, and cul-de-sacs. The subtle strength and candor of this work provides a counterpoint to passionate rhetoric about this infamous military base, yet adds its voice to the on-going debate about American values in a time of war and transition.


Sims received his BA in history from Duke University in 1995. He completed an MA in visual communication at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill in 2003. He completed his MFA in studio art at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, MD in 2008. His work has been exhibited at the Houston Center for Photography; Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, SC; the Center for the American South at UNC, Chapel Hill; and the Decker Gallery at MICA. He is currently teaching at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.

Public exhibition hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 12 to 6 p.m.

Civilian Art Projects, an art gallery based in Washington, D.C., supports the voice and vision of the artist through exhibitions, events, and collaborations in D.C. and abroad. The gallery is located in the Penn Quarter neighborhood in downtown Washington near many major museums, galleries, and national treasures.
info@civilianartprojects.com
Civilian Art Projects
406 7th Street NW, Third Floor
Washington DC
(202) 347-0022

Two Affordable Web Hosting Services JUST for Artists

Despite all the time I spend on art-and-internet based projects, I am a web dummy! For years I guiltily relied on the kindness of graphic designer friends to build and maintain my artist website. As a result, I rarely updated either the images or the text and my website wasn't a very accurate professional representation of my work.

Now, that has all changed. I have discovered two different web services for artists, and both are affordable. Both services include web hosting and offer a blog-like, template approach. All I have to do is upload image and text, in order to build the site. I can change it whenever I want and, overall, I am happy with both of these services. One is OPP (as in - are you down with OPP?) which stands for 'Other People's Pixels.' I have chosen this organization to do my personal website at caraober dot com. The other service I have used is Icompendium, also a template based and affordable service. Dana and I have used this service to help build our website at Paperwork Gallery dot com. I would recomend both. If you are an artist looking to build an online site, but you're not interested in learning code - this is a great way to do it. Here's the skinny from both sites.


Other People's Pixels:
"We've already designed a website for your artwork.
You don't need to do any of the tough stuff, just plug in images of your work and your portfolio can be online today. If you already have a website, you can keep the same domain name. If not, we'll get the one you want and set it up."

OtherPeoplesPixels was created by artists to help artists and students get their work online quickly and easily.

Why did you start OPP?

Some of our friends asked us for help making a portfolio website.
After the 5th person, we realized that this was something that a lot of artists and art students needed. It seemed like everyone wanted a portfolio website but no one had the time to learn how to make one. We knew it had to be quick, easy, and cheap... and so OtherPeoplesPixels was born.

Prices include your web hosting for a year and are $90 for students, $160 for a 'standard' site, and $260 for a 'Multimedia' site. All prices are per year.



Icompendium:
The Icompendium Web publishing system lets artists easily create and maintain a website at yourname.com. Add images, text and video with only a Web browser.

Icompendium is incredibly user friendly and full featured. All websites are setup, hosted, and supported by Van Stokes. Van Stokes writes, makes art and things people can use. His work has been published in several literary journals and help desk support manuals.

Since leaving Yale with an MFA, he has taught Visual Thinking I, II, Foundation Color and Design, and Digital Photography at Mercy College in White Plains, NY, and been an invited critic at NYU, Yale and Maryland Institute of Art. Current pedagogical work includes teaching his four year old daughter to strum the guitar.

As a technologist and long time end user, Van advocates simple economic solutions.

Cost per year includes web hosting and is $200 for Bronze, $300 for Silver, $400 for Gold, and $500 for Platinum. There's a chart which explains what each service includes.

If any blog readers would like to suggest additional affordable web services for artists, please post it in a comment.

Openings This Weekend... January 30 is a busy night!

If I Didn't Care: Multigenerational Female Artists Discuss Cultural Histories
Curated by Rick Dulaney, Gallery Director
January 30 - March 30, 2009
Reception Friday, January 30, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Richman Gallery and Davison Lobby
The Park School
2425 Old Court Road/ Baltimore, MD 21203
for more information, go to www.parkschool.net/arts


Follies, Predicaments, and Other Conundrums: The Works of Laure Drogoul at MICA
Friday, Jan 30 – Sunday, March 15
Opening reception: Friday, Jan 30, 5-8 p.m.
www.mica.edu

So Many Organs at Current
January 23 - February 13
Reception January 30, 7-10pm
A group exhibition featuring drawings, paintings, photographs, and mixed media works by Liz Donadio, Dina Kelberman & Ryan Syrell

Current Gallery
30 South Calvert Street
Baltimore Md 21202
www.currentspace.com

Guns and Chandeliers at Gallery Imperato
Oil paintings by Shannon Cannings
Resin paintings by Jessica Dunegan
January 30 – March 14, 2009
Opening Reception: January 30, 7-10pm
Gallery Imperato
921 E. Fort Ave. Suite 120
www.galleryimperato.com

Art on Purpose presents Everyone an Artist

A selection of garbage from Denise Tassin's vast collection.

Celebrating the innate creativity that comes with being human...

'The Art of Collecting'
JANUARY 28 TO MARCH 6, 2009
Reception :: Thursday, February 5, 4:30-6:30pm
Gormley Gallery at College of Notre Dame of Maryland

How our accumulation of stuff takes on meaning and says things about who we are. Selections from artist Denise Tassin’s vast collections of objects and materials, and featuring student artists: Sebastien Arbona, Rachael Atherholt, Barbara Bailey, Michael Bennett, Kathleen Boehl, Kalli Bouloubassis, Anne Carnes, Paige Chaffee, Diana Colbert, Kaitlin DaGrava, Kelly Dash, Julia DePaul, Sarah Diver, Trish Dobson, Amber Doby, Wes Dow, Tyler Grason, Colleen Halligan, Rachel Howard, Andrea Hunt, Nicole Jackson, Jacquelyn Kaufman, Garrett Kelly, Ajay Leister, Katy Lloyd, Hing Mai, Ana Martin, Donna Novak, Lauren Scott-Smith, Rachel Silver, Lauren Straughn, Diem Tran, Jenna Tyrangel

And students from: Daniel Page’s “Music and Art as Craft” class at University of Baltimore and Cara Ober’s “Design 1” class at Loyola College

This is the installation my Design classes made at Loyola college!

Art on Purpose, an organization dedicated to using art to bring people together around issues and ideas, is presenting 9 exhibitions in 2009 featuring art by Denise Tassin alongside works by hundreds of students from 13 Baltimore area colleges and universities. Join us in exploring the innate creativity that comes with being human! Visit www.artonpurpose.org for more information.

Assemblage by Denise Tassin

'I Remember Mama'
FEBRUARY 1 TO MARCH 6, 2009
Reception :: Thursday, February 5, 4:30-6:00pm
Loyola/Notre Dame Library

Join us at 5:30pm as Goucher student choreographers and dancers Hillary Hoffman and John Hoobyar perform Grounds for Play, a duet in which they adopt the attitude of two children at play. Art and objects tinged with nostalgia, harkening back to childhood memories we all can relate to. The exhibition features a selection of small sculptures and constructions by Denise Tassin, and work by student artists: Olivia Ady, AnaEliza Alvarez, Elyza Brillantes, Shana Buckholtz, Daniel Calhoun, Kelsey Connolly, Garrett Culver, Jessica Devlin, Alexandra Dundie, Eleanor Farley, Lilli Fisher, Charles Franklin, Corey Glasgow, Pearl Hood, Tiffany Jones, Esther Park, Clare Piet, Nicole Nash, Richard Rabeau, Abby Rehfuss, Andrea Reneau, Danielle Rosenheck, Amy Rudolph, Kaitlin Schrote, Heather Stapf, Katie Waterworth, and Rich Wickham
Join us for the first featured exhibitions - February 5, 2009!

If I Didn't Care at Park School January 30

If I Didn't Care: Multigenerational Artists Discuss Cultural Histories
Curated by Rick Dulaney, Gallery Director

Artists Include: Laylah Ali, Patssi Valdez, Tamasha Williamson, Paula Wilson, Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson, Pamela Phatsimo Sundstrum, Faith Ringgold, Soumiya Krishnaswamy, Deborah Roberts, Emma Amos, Magiwa Orimo, Karen Powell, Isabel Manalo, Margaret Burroughs, Keiko Ishii Eckhardt, Regina Vater, Howardina Pindell, Athena LaTocha, Negar Ahkami, Joyce Scott, Swati Khurana, Kate Bae, Wanda Ewing, Saya Woolfalk, Debra Edgerton, Nina Buxembaum, Flo Oy Wong, Elizabeth Axtman, and Siona Benjamin

January 30 - March 30, 2009
Reception Friday, January 30, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

This all-medium exhibition features women-of-color artists whose work focuses on cultural histories, race, gender, or social-political areas of thought. The artists come from many different backgrounds and times. Some of the artists are recently out of college, while others have been creating for decades. A few of the participating artists will be coming to Park to meet with students during the exhibition.

Refreshments will be served at the opening reception, Friday, January 30, 5:30 - 7:00pm. The exhibition runs until March 30.

Saya Woolfalk

Richman Gallery and Davison Lobby
The Park School
2425 Old Court Road/ Baltimore, MD 21203
for more information, go to www.parkschool.net/arts

A Catalogue will be available.

Petition for Obama: How about a Secretary of the Arts?

Outside of SCOPE Miami

Quincy Jones has started a petition to ask President-Elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of the Arts. While many other countries have had Ministers of Art or Culture for centuries, The United States has never created such a position. We in the arts need this and the country needs the arts--now more than ever. Please take a moment to sign this important petition and then pass it on to your friends and colleagues.

www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html

And, from the L.A. Times ...

Last November, music producer and songwriter Quincy Jones mentioned to John Schaefer during an interview on the New York radio program “Soundcheck” that he thought President-elect Barack Obama should create a Cabinet-level position of secretary of the Arts. “One of the next conversations I have with President Obama is to beg for a secretary of the Arts,” he told the WNYC talk-show host.

Jaime Austria heard about Jones' comments and thought that was a great idea. So Austria launched an online petition. So far, more than 63,000 people have signed, with "spread the word" e-mails recently making the rounds on the Left Coast.

Kurt Kauper's Barack Obama Painting

Winter Arts Preview on YPR

Click here for the MD Morning Winter Arts Preview with myself and Alex Mudge of Aural States.

Five Shows that I mentioned on the YPR Preview are:

Follies, Predicaments, and Other Conundrums: The Works of Laure Drogoul at MICA
Friday, Jan 30 – Sunday, March 15
Opening reception: Friday, Jan 30, 5-8 p.m.
www.mica.edu

Ceiling Painting by Heidi Neff

Response at Rosenberg Gallery, Goucher College
www.goucher.edu/rosenberg
February 3 – March
February 12, opening – 6-8
4 Artists doing site-responsive work:
John Shipman, Christine Tillman, Heidi Neff, Stewart Stein

Encaustic Painting by Christine Sajecki (NOT caustic!)

The Rumors are True: Megan Hildebrandt and Christine Sajecki at The Creative Alliance
Opened Jan. 17
Jan 17 – Feb. 21
www.creativealliance.org

painting by Timothy App

Timothy App: Homage at Goya Contemporary
www.goyacontemporary.com
February – April, 2009
Thursday, March 12


Mise en Scene at Paperwork Gallery
www.paperworkgallery.com
Audrey Collins Petrich, Lillian Bayley Hoover, and Guillaume Pallat
January 30 - February 28
Opening Saturday February 7

MICA Unity Week & Renee Cox talk

Unity Week includes Create the Dream, an exhibition and silent auction of paintings, photography, prints, and fiber arts that benefit Bea Gaddy Foundation. Participating artists include Silja Lahtinen’86, Paul Mintz ’53, Kevin Ryan ’80, and MICA photography faculty Colette Veasey-Cullors ’96.

A highlight of the week is a 3:30 p.m. talk on Friday, Jan. 23 by New York-based photographer and mixed media artist Renee Cox, who uses her own image and body to celebrate black womanhood and criticize a society she often views as racist and sexist. You might remember that Cox made headlines back in 2001, when her photograph, Yo Mama’s Last Supper, was exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The artwork was a remake of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper with a nude Cox sitting in for Jesus Christ, surrounded by all black disciples, except for Judas who was white. Rudolph Guiliani, who was New York City mayor at the time, called for the forming of a commission to set decency standards to keep such works from being shown in any New York museum that received public funds.

Renee Cox 'Housewife'

The 5th installment of LOS SOLOS SERIES

Susan Alcorn

Friday, 2/6/08, 8:30pm, $6 sug.donation
featuring local pedal steel guitarist and dancer from NY:

SUSAN ALCORN (Balto)
CLYDE FORTH (NY)

Carriage House, 2225 Hargrove St., Lower Chas. Village
baltimoreperformance.com/lossolos

SUSAN ALCORN is a Baltimore, Maryland-based composer and musician who has received international recognition as an innovator of the pedal steel guitar, an instrument whose sound is commonly associated with country and western music. Alcorn has absorbed the technique of C&W pedal steel playing and refined it to a virtuosic level.

clyde forth's work has crossed the boundaries of drawing, sculpture, video, dance and poetry for the last 18 years. Her performances and artwork have been shown in Los Angeles, New York City, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Houston, Troy NY, Woodstock NY, MA, NM, VT, Washington DC, Canada, the UK and of course Baltimore MD. She is a guest artist member of VTDance, directed by Vincent Thomas, in Washington DC.

5:3 at UMBC

5:3
Five Artists : Three States
Video : Animation : Sound
February 5–March 14

The exhibition is curated by David Yager and Symmes Gardner and features video, animation, and sound works by artists in the region: EDGAR ENDRESS (Virginia), JOSHUA MOSLEY (Pennsylvania), RICHARD PELL (Pennsylvania), STEPHEN VITIELLO (Virginia), and KAREN YASINSKY (Maryland).

Opening reception: Thursday, February 5th, 5–7pm

Admission to the exhibition and reception is free, and free parking is available in Lots 8 and 9A.

The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and is located in the Fine Arts Building at UMBC. For more information visit our website or call 410-455-3188.

Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
1000 Hilltop Circle
Fine Arts Building
Baltimore, Maryland 21250

Meat and Sugar at Julio Fine Arts Gallery

presents


January 12 - February 13, 2009

Artists Talk & Opening Reception:
Thursday, January 22, 5pm - 7pm
Special Performance by Loyola's Jazz Combo at 6pm

Meat & Sugar is produced in conjunction with
Loyola College’s 2009 Humanities Symposium, “Communing with Food.”
Julio Fine Arts Gallery

Loyola College in Maryland
4501 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21210
410-617-2799.

For more information please contact gallery director Kay Hwang at khwang@loyola.edu.

Hours: Monday - Friday: 11am - 5pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: 1pm - 4pm

Neil Meyerhoff & Hidenori Ishii - Opening Wednesday January 21 at Grimaldis

Hidenori Ishi

Neil Meyerhoff: Children, New Photographs
Hidenori Ishii: A Little Earthshine

C. Grimaldis Gallery

Opening Reception: Wednesday, January 21, 5:30 - 7:30
January 21 - February 28, 2009

Neil Meyerhoff Ecuador

National Portrait Gallery Acquires Shepard Fairey’s Portrait of Barack Obama

Barack Obama/Shepard Fairey, 2008 / Hand-finished collage, stencil and acrylic on paper / Gift of the Heather and Tony Podesta Collection in honor of Mary K. Podesta / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution / © Shepard Fairey/Obey Giant

The portrait that came to symbolize the historic campaign of President-elect Barack Obama will make its permanent home only a few blocks from the White House at the National Portrait Gallery.

The piece, created by Los Angeles artist Shepard Fairey, came to the museum through the generosity of Washington, D.C., art collectors Heather and Tony Podesta, in honor of Tony Podesta’s mother, the late Mary K. Podesta.

“This work is an emblem of a significant election, as well as a new presidency,” said Martin E.Sullivan, director of the National Portrait Gallery. “Shepard Fairey’s instantly recognizable image was integral to the Obama campaign. We are deeply grateful to the Podestas for their generosity.”

Fairey’s large-scale, mixed-media stenciled collage was the central portrait image for the Obama campaign and was previously distributed as a limited-edition print and as a free download. The collage will be on view at the Portrait Gallery by Inauguration Day. It will be installed on the first floor of the museum in the “New Arrivals” exhibition.

Fairey’s work is represented by the Irvine Contemporary gallery in Washington, D.C. Fairey’s works are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. In 2006, Gingko Press published a monograph on the artist’s career, “Obey: Supply and Demand.” A retrospective of Fairey’s work will open Feb. 6 at the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art.

Shepard Fairey on the Colbert Report:

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Shepard Fairey

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Baker Artist Awards - Just X days Left! by Cara Ober

As it stands today, there are twelve days left to 'participate' in the Baker Artist Awards, either as an artist or a voter. I am pretty sure that everyone who is even remotely interested in the arts within a fifty mile radius of Baltimore knows this. I keep getting self-congratulatory press releases that read like this:

"BAKER ARTIST AWARDS EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS IN FINAL WEEKS -- More than 500 local artists vie for publicly chosen prizes, and $20,000 awards. With 14 days of voting left for the Baker Artist Awards, an arts competition that awards cash prizes to Baltimore-based artists, public participation in the new program has surpassed expectations of the awards’ organizers. More than 500 local artists have nominated themselves by posting portfolios online, and more than 7,000 people have registered to vote for their favorite artists on the Awards’ website."

And, truly, this is a great thing, so they should congratulate themselves at getting so many artists on board. Of course, twenty g's is a big chunk of change, so the motivation is in the puddin'. All of the participating artists get free websites and an easily navigable web kingdom to frolic in, along with the process. The visible online community is an amazing gift.


I also keep getting repeated requests from artists I don't know - via regular email, facebook, and myspace with "Vote for Me!" in the sub-heading. I know this is what we're all supposed to do, in order to bring more pageviews to the site, but it is getting obnoxious.

Let's think strategy here: Every Baltimore artist who has already applied is going to vote for themselves. Right? There's nothing wrong with this - I am pretty sure Barack Obama voted for himself for president. Hence, it makes good sense to send your 'vote for me' pleas to people who are NOT artists living in Baltimore, and who are NOT already on the site.

I know one person who sent a link to the Baker site to all of his cousins, aunts, and uncles, who then sent it to all their co-workers who were bored at work -- this guy is going to clean up on votes. I don't know if these kinds of people are going to really browse the site too much, but it definitely sends an art related message to people who normally wouldn't care. Art awareness for the masses is never a bad thing, especially when a big cash prize is at stake.

It would also be a good strategic move, if you are trying to win votes for yourself, to email your page to artists and art professionals who live OUTSIDE of Baltimore. You have a much better shot at getting votes from this group, since there's no conflict of interest, and you will also give Baker artists a shot of being discovered outside of Baltimore. This is good for everyone.

In the coming weeks, it is going to be very interesting to see how this thing goes. It's the first time the prize is being awarded, so there are bound to be some unexpected bumps and hopefully some excitement.


All you Baker artists, remember - you can earn up to 10 votes yourself, by logging on to the site, posting comments, and viewing other artist's portfolios. How about that motivation for creating a supportive online arts community? This is bribery at it's finest - a cash-induced nice-fest of constructive criticism and compliments. But hey - the end justifies the means. This site is eliciting good, community-oriented behavior from those who usually are obsessed with self. This is a good thing.

So sign up ASAP artists, writers, and musicians who haven't already! I have a hard time believing you exist, just like undecided voters, but there's just a few days left to get in on the action. So do it! Just please don't send me any 'vote for me' emails, ok?

Voting is being held at www.BakerArtistAwards.org, and will remain open through February 1, 2009.

Follies, Predicaments, and Other Conundrums: The Works of Laure Drogoul Jan. 30-March 15 at MICA.

Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) presents Follies, Predicaments, and Other Conundrums: The Works of Laure Drogoul, the first large-scale retrospective of Rinehart School of Sculpture graduate Laure Drogoul ’81, Friday, Jan. 30-Sunday, March 15 in the College’s Decker and Meyerhoff galleries in Fox Building, 1303 Mount Royal Ave., and its new BBOX performance space in the Gateway, 1601 Mount Royal Ave. An opening reception takes place Friday, Jan. 30, 5-8 p.m.

Drogoul, a Baltimore-based interdisciplinary artist and self-described “cultural crackpot and cabaretist,” makes participatory and sensorial works that are articulated through sculpture, installation, performance, and Web-based media. Her process involves collection and observation of the body’s sensory connection to place and memory.

The artist’s highly interactive works break down physical barriers traditionally associated with the visual arts, not only bringing viewers into active participation with each piece but, in some cases, inviting them to become an integral part of the art itself. This major solo exhibition of her performative and interactive works, including two new pieces, was conceived by its curator, Exhibitions Department Director Gerald Ross, and organized and produced in partnership with students in MICA's Exhibition Development Seminar.



Follies, Predicaments, and Other Conundrums: The Works of Laure Drogoul is a sideshow arrangement revealing the artist’s examination of the fragility and beauty of the human condition. The exhibition includes Drogoul’s enormous plywood framed, paper mached, and hand painted “follies,” each one a reflection of Baltimore’s unique essence that Drogoul extracts and aptly injects straight into her work. Drogoul also brings to MICA her signature performance, music, dance, film, and video series, the 14Karat Cabaret. Created jointly with Maryland Art Place in 1989 and since become a Baltimore cultural institution, the cabaret will move from its longtime home on Saratoga Street to the College’s new BBOX performance space during the exhibition. Follies, Predicaments, and Other Conundrums also features Drogoul’s ongoing Olfactory Factory, an examination of smell perception and geography, and Apparatus for Orchestral Knitting, an interactive knitting audio performance.

Drogoul earned a BFA from Tyler School of Art and MFA from MICA’s Rinehart School of Sculpture. She has received Maryland State and Baltimore City Art Awards, Franklin Furnace Fund Awards for Performance Art and a Mid Atlantic Artist as a Catalyst Award to design an interactive exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. In 2004, she was the recipient of a US/Japan Creative Artist Fellowship – a joint program established in 1979 between the Japan-US Friendship Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2006, Drogoul was the inaugural winner of the prestigious Janet and Walter Sondheim Prize – an award granted to a visual artist working in the Baltimore metropolitan region. She has exhibited and performed throughout the United States and appeared internationally in solo exhibitions in Asia and Russia.

“In Follies, we have an opportunity to explore an extraordinary artist, her influential role in Baltimore’s art scene, and how that scene and the essence of what is Baltimore–quirky, spooky, slightly offbeat, and darkly comical–is infused and reflected in her work,” said Gerald Ross, MICA’s Director of Exhibitions and Follies curator. “We are grateful for Laure Drogoul’s openness and artistic generosity in making it possible to organize such a dramatic and diverse collection for this exhibition.”

MICA's Exhibition Development Seminar students, under the instruction of MICA faculty Glenn Shrum ‘08 and guidance of Gerald Ross and professional mentors, have helped curate and design the exhibition, as well as develop a full slate of performances and community programs. The students have also designed promotional materials, catalog, and a Web site, www.mica.edu/drogoul.

“It has been a pleasure to collaborate with the MICA students on this exhibition,” Drogoul said. “I have regularly met with the EDS teams to discuss my visual language--including my shift from earlier theatricality and spectacle to actually engaging viewers to contribute and become part of it--and how to best utilize the College’s galleries and its new performance space.”

Follies, Predicaments, and Other Conundrums: The Works of Laure Drogoul and the exhibition’s educational programs and catalogue were made possible through generous support from the Friends of the Exhibition Development Seminar.

MICA’s galleries, which are free and open to the public, are open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

Events and Performances:
Follies, Predicaments, and Other Conundrums: The Works of Laure Drogoul

Friday, January 30, 5-8 p.m. Opening reception
Friday, February 6, 6-9:30 p.m. Knitting Jam
Friday, February 13, 9-11:30 p.m. The 14Karat Cabaret - BBOX, the Gateway
Tickets: $7 general public, limited FREE seating available for MICA students with advance reservations.

The 14Karat Cabaret is an ongoing series of casual performances, music, dance, film, and video in an informal nightclub setting. Laure Drogoul ’81 will host this special performance in MICA’s new BBOX. Audience participation is intrinsic.

Saturday, February 21, noon-3 p.m. Special Host: Laure Drogoul. Gallery talk, 1-2 p.m.

Informal discussion and interaction, 2-3 p.m. Participate in the exhibition with the artist, Laure Drogoul '81, who will act as gallery hostess for the day, performing pieces, engaging gallery-goers, and answering questions about her works.

Saturday, February 28, noon-3 p.m.Connecting Through Conundrums
Scented papermaking workshop, noon-1 p.m.
Phantom Limb sewing seminar and knitting lessons, 2-3 p.m.

Through process-based workshops, such as a sewing seminar, paper-making workshop, and knitting lessons, visitors will participate in the working processes of artist Laure Drogoul ’81. A special host will guide visitors through the Decker and Meyerhoff galleries, providing insight into the exhibition throughout the day.

For the most up-to-date location, pricing and ticket information please visit the exhibition's Web site.

Cindy, We Miss You! Interview with new L.A. transplant, Cindy Rehm

The beach down the street.

Cara: How long did you live in Baltimore? What are your fondest memories or experiences? What do you miss about Baltimore?

Cindy: I came to Baltimore in 1992, so that makes sixteen years! I’ve always loved the DIY spirit of Baltimore. It’s an easy place to live, so there always seems to be a healthy underground of people making art and music.

My fondest memories of Baltimore include eating at Cultured Pearl, hanging out at the old Rendezvous (it’s where my dog Gromit was put into my arms as a stray pup!) and dancing really hard at the Depot and Zodiac. When I first moved to town I loved the 14K Cabaret and the Charles Theater. I also have a giant soft spot for the St John’s Church space. It’s where I did my first public performance, and I organized several events there. It’s such a beautiful space, I’m really happy folks have started using it on a regular basis. My time doing spare room was also wonderful! I got to connect with so many talented artists and it was super cool to have a room full of art in my house every month.

I miss all my Baltimore pals, Golden West on a Sunday morning, Robert E Lee Park, vintage shopping in Hampden, Atomic Books, AVAM, haircuts at Sprout, Woodberry Kitchen and the Book Thing.

Cara: Why did you choose to move to Los Angeles?

Cindy: For the past three years I've been living between Baltimore and Murfreesboro, TN (it's just outside of Nashville.) I went there for a teaching position, but my husband, Bill Sebring, had to stay in Baltimore for his job. We were sick of the long distance and decided to move to a city where we could both find work. Bill was able to transfer here, so that part was easy. I'm in the process of looking for teaching positions. Over the past few years, we've spent some time in LA and we both loved the climate and the rich culture. We were ready for a change, so we just took the leap!

Cara: So far, how is LA different than Baltimore?

Gromitt in the backyard

Cindy: To state the obvious, it’s not freezing in the winter. I hate being cold, so I’m really loving the 70 degree weather! The landscape here is really stunning, full of palm trees and mountain ranges. When I drive to the dog park, I can catch a glimpse of the ocean. Also, LA is a gigantic and diverse city. The museums here are top notch and they have really great public programming.

Cara: What are your newest projects - either stuff you are currently working on or are about to begin?

Cindy: Sadly, there hasn’t been much time for art in the last month! I finished a video piece just before the final pack in Baltimore. For my past few video pieces, I’ve had other women perform. It gives me the opportunity to focus on filming and I get a better variety of shots. My last piece was a kind of lovelorn piece with red flowers and the gutting of fish. I’m happy to say it’s just been selected for screening at LACE here in LA. It’s an event called My Bloody Valentine, so I think my work will fit right in!

Gutted Video Still

I don’t know many people here in LA, so I anticipate I may be back in front of the camera for my next video. I have no idea how the work will transpire, but I think it’s going to be filmed outdoors. I’m also itching to start drawing again. I got a few sheets of lovely gray paper today. I’ve been into really labor-intensive mark making with ink and brush; making hair veils one stand at a time. My new studio is really bright with a view out to the backyard. I don’t know if I’ll be able to make the same things I made before, but I’m not sure what
comes next!

Cara: What opportunities for artists will you take advantage of in L.A.?

Cindy: There is a healthy gallery scene here, which has really grown in the past ten years. I’ve found the galleries to be much more approachable than their counterparts in Chelsea. I haven’t been with a gallery for a long time, and for a while, I was more interested in installation and temporary materials. These days I’m more open to the idea and I may pursue it more intently in the future.

There’s also a thriving scene of artist collectives here, which I’m hoping to tap into. There’s a space called Machine Project that does a hybrid of art projects and community education. I haven’t been to the space yet, but I’m always fascinated by their offerings. http://machineproject.com/

Cara: What already pisses you off about California? If anything ...

Cindy: I know it’s cliché, but the traffic sucks! My other big complaint is the crappiness of the 99cent stores! I always haunt the dollar stores for good finds, but the stores here are terrible!

Cara: What galleries and museums are nearby? What shows are up? What are you seeing or about to go see?

Cindy: It’s really exciting to live in a town with several major museums. I missed the Francis Alÿs, Fabiola show when it was in NY, so I was really happy it was here. It’s one of the best things I’ve seen in a while. It’s a collection of hundreds of renderings of Saint Fabiola hung together floor to ceiling in a single large room. I want to go see it again before it leaves. http://www.lacma.org/art/ExhibAlys.aspx

Fabiola

The Louise Bourgeois show is here now. I saw it in NY, but want to go again. It’s an incredible collection of her work. She’s one of my heros! The show will be in DC in the spring, so go if you haven’t seen it!! http://www.moca.org/museum/exhibitiondetail.php?id=412

There’s also a book show at the MOCA, To Illustrate and Multiply: An Open Book which looks really good and they have an excellent website for the show http://www.moca.org/openbook/

There are gallery openings every weekend, so I’m hoping to get an art day soon!

Cara: I am glad you are enjoying the warmth and new experiences. Remember you will always have a home here in Baltimore and lots of us miss you!! You are great.

To keep up with Cindy, please check her website at http://cindyrehm.com.

Dan Cameron Lecture on February 5 at 7 p.m.

A Discussion with PROSPECT 1 Director and Curator Dan Cameron
Inaugural program of the New Art Dialogue Series
Thursday, February 5, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

Falvey Hall
Maryland Institute College of Art
1300 Mt. Royal Avenue
Bolton Hill, Baltimore

The Contemporary Museum will introduce a new forum for discussion of contemporary art in Baltimore - New Art Dialogue Series - with a conversation with Dan Cameron, director and curator of the landmark PROSPECT 1 exhibition in New Orleans, on Thursday, February 5, 2009 at 7 p.m. The program will be held at Maryland Institute College of Art’s Falvey Hall.

Mr. Cameron will share his experience curating PROSPECT 1 and the impact that it had on post-Katrina New Orleans. PROSPECT 1 was the largest international exhibition of contemporary art presented in the United States. The critically-acclaimed exhibition included works by 81 artists from 38 countries, presented in more than two dozen galleries and public spaces throughout the city. The 10-week exhibit closes in late January.

Mr. Cameron is Visual Arts Director at the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center.

Admission to the lecture is $10 for the general public, $5 for students, and free for members of the Contemporary Museum and MICA students.

The Contemporary’s New Art Dialogue Series presents lectures and conversations by distinguished artists, critics, art historians, and curators whose work is defining the field of contemporary art. The series cultivates critical discourse responsive to the cultural, social, and political issues of our time.

The New Art Dialogue Series is sponsored by the Louise D. and Morton J. Macks Family Foundation. Additional support is provided by Bodil Ottesen. For additional information, visit www.contemporary.org.

Chris LaVoie: Grey Vibrations at McDaniel College opens Jan. 27

McDaniel College Department of Art and Art History presents an exhibit, Grey Vibrations: Sculpture by Chris LaVoie, Jan. 27 through Feb. 20 on campus in the Esther Prangley Rice Gallery in Peterson Hall.

For information and gallery hours, call 410-857-2595. The exhibit is free and open to the public. An opening reception will be held 7-9 p.m. Jan. 27.

A sculptor and multimedia artist, LaVoie’s work focuses on themes of domesticity, stasis and movement as he deconstructs and reconstructs familiar middle-class objects. With society’s conflicting desires to rest at home and to be in constant movement toward something new, LaVoie’s work endeavors to fill the space between home and the road.

“My art is spinning a material history that may connect past and present forms, but only for a moment,” LaVoie says. “It is a re-fabrication of the prefabricated, over and over again.”

LaVoie, who lives in Baltimore, has exhibited his work nationally, in galleries along the East Coast from North Carolina to New York to points west, including Arizona. He is preparing for solo exhibitions this year at McDaniel as well as at the Arlington Art Center in Virginia.

Last year, LaVoie earned a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art in downtown Baltimore, and a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture in 2004 from the University of Arizona. Since receiving his master’s degree, he has worked as a sculpture technician and adjunct faculty member at the Maryland Institute College of Art, as well as a substitute teacher for Baltimore County Public Schools.

McDaniel College
2 College Hill
Westminster, MD 21157
www.mcdaniel.edu

Maggie Gourlay: Patterns of Dislocation opens February 20 at School 33