April 4, 2008

Mark Planisek, another former co-resident of mine at the Millenium Art Center, opened his show tonight at ther Arts Club of Washington. Sadly, an illness forced Mark to miss the opening bash (the kidney stone has since left the scene, hallelujah) but the event was well-documented by videographer Jim Dadey. 

Jim Dadey, meta-photographer

'Tis a sad tale oft repeated, although this time with a twist. About 30 of our region's serious artists were delighted to have studios and a thriving community in the huge if falling-down 1920's-era  Randall Junior High School, rechristened the Millenium Art Center by Bill Wooby. In 2006, the building was sold by the District of Columbia to the Corcoran, which at the time had grandiose plans to build a Frank Gehry-designed structure in downtown DC and relocate an expanded school to the Randall School. (Of course, you will not be surprised to learn that the package also involved having a private developer build 500 condos adjacent to the school.) The Corcoran, great friend of art, evicted the artists in November 2006, boarded up the building and surrounded it with chain-link fencing. Since then, the Gehry project has gone kaput, the building remains boarded and fenced, and we have been dispersed around the city and environs searching for affordable studio space.

Mark's documentation of the building as it emptied is beautiful and, to those like me, heartbreaking. He made me a box of my old studio that I installed as inspiration in my new one. I treasure it, as I do his friendship.