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Artomatic - Encounter of the First Kind

Latest News and Thoughts from Ellyn Weiss

June 3, 2009

Jim Tretick Who Must Be Obeyed

Lisa Gold, new WPA Director.

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (thanx to Beth Baldwin) organized an evening at Artomatic Monday when the joint is otherwise closed, so I got to make my first pass through. This one is Extra Giant Size Yoooge – 1000 (!) artists in nine open floors of a brand new commercial building smack next to the brand new ballpark on Southeast DC, surrounded by a dozen other brand new empty condo and office buildings waiting for the economy to turn around. (If you’re very quiet, you can hear the financing curdling.)

George and Gloria Nauden, new Exec. Director of the DCCAH

Stephanie Bonifant 's colors

There are fabulous Capitol-to-Potomac views of DC from the roofdeck, which may get the building a few tenants.

I LOVE the Homewrecker installation

Michael Janis's amazing new work

As my reader knows, I was one of the founders of Artomatic over 10 years ago and I still lust nostalgically for the grimy, scary old buildings of ye olden days when we had to take a collection to buy toilet paper and light bulbs and getting back to the car after a night shift was an adventure.

Tim Tate at Kristi Mathias's work

Most of us fogies have since turned the insanity over to a new generation and the current organizers seem somehow to have accommodated themselves to marble lobbies and slate bathrooms, not to mention professional cleaners. (And a big shout out to Veronica Szalus and the rest of the current board, including the eternals George Koch, Jim Tretick and Chuck Baxter, who really have done a fabulous job whipping this craziness into some kind of shape).

Peeps caught in the infamous purple inaugural tunnel

The surroundings are slick but the art is still Artomatic. Temporary partitions have been fashioned to give each artist a space, and it all flows together in a big goofy stew.

Peep on Wire

Peeps of Wrath

The peeps show on the 7th floor displays the work of the finalists in this annual contest organized by the Washington Post, featuring the obsessive dioramas of people who have way too much time on their hands and imaginations that range from the sweet (e.g Peeps at Passover) to the frighteningly lunatic (Peeps Killing Room). It is NOT to be missed.

Peeps (Pee Wee's) Playhouse

I’d say from my first walk through about 2 ½ floors that the dreck-to-interesting ratio is about the same as always, although the sheer overwhelmingness and undifferentiated nature of the space makes it challenging to find the gems. And I’ll confess that I was a bit impaired Monday night. I’ll be back.

Only at Artomatic

Only at Artomatic II

So these are pictures of a few of the things that stopped me:Michael Janis's deeply layered new work based on mythology; Kristi Mathias's prints on aluminum panel made by scanning and reassembling the paint-by-numbers pictures she collects (Kristi wants me to make it clear that no actual paint-by-numbers pictures were harmed in the making of these images; an amazing "Homewrecker" installation featuring a woman-scorned screed of remarkable intensity and breadth and a few dozen mutilated dolls (I'll find out more about this, including the artist, when I go back - it was too crowded); Stepahnie Bonifant's wonderful colors.
Later: I found out that the Homewrecker was made by Deb Jansen. You go, girllll.

That was some gala!

Latest News and Thoughts from Ellyn Weiss

May 30, 2009

Back garden with performer

The District of Columbia Arts Center (“DCAC”) is an artist-born and run visual/performing arts institution that plays a unique part in the cultural life of this city. DCAC threw itself a 20th anniversary gala last night and it was a hell of a party.

Anita Walsh, Ms. Pipecleaner Head

the bunny guy

First, the setting: Halcyon House is a stately Georgetown mansion that dates to 1789. It is owned by sculptor John Dreyfuss and the upper floors, each room with its fireplace and antique feel, are what you would expect of a home of this vintage and splendor. The lower floor, however, has been fashioned into a cavernous three-story high studio big enough to fabricate the Queen Mary and it is to die for. The back garden has two tiers and one of the most spectacular views in town.

dancer

Arkin and Holtsman, faces in the crowd

Pretty much tout le monde was there, including myself, and I even dressed for the occasion, although admittedly not to the standards of many of the highly-groomed throng in attendance. Anita Walsh won the “S/He Sure Cleans Up Good” prize, with Mark Planisek a close second.

There was music, performance, dancers, a juggler, a guy with a big bunny head, open bars with champagne (!), very nice finger food brought around by liveried servers. Homestly, I still can’t believe they let me in. Oh yeah, I bought a ticket.

The Class of 1969: You Wouldn't Believe It

Latest News and Thoughts from Ellyn Weiss

May 26,2009

Chapin House, my home for four years

some of my Chapin cohorts

I just got back from Northampton, Massachusetts, where I celebrated the reunion of the Smith Class of 1969 along with 125 of my classmates. We were the class that overturned 100 years of tradition; when we arrived, there were blue-haired genteel housemothers and no going away for the weekend without mommy’s permission.

From the Smith museum from left, Frankenthaler, Mitchell, DeKooning, Kline

a fabulous Lee Bontecue at the museum

We had to wear skirts to dinner (I protested by wearing the same skirt over my jeans for four years) and there was coffee in demitasse cups on Thursday evening. My first week, I was admonished for “lowering the tone of the house” by going barefoot downstairs. I was the lead singer and drummer in an all-woman band called “Maggie’s Farm”. By the time we left, there were no housemothers and pretty much no rules left worth breaking.

the class parade

more class parade

I organized a show of artwork of my class members, which was quite interesting, and also took a few photos of some of the work in the genuinely outstanding collection of the Smith College Art Museum, which is more than worth a stop if you are in or near western Mass. The museum also has a special show of the work of Leslie Dill, class of ’72. Her impressive, evocative installations and sculpture generally start with poetry and incorporate both the meaning and the text itself. (Then you can go on to North Adams and see MassMOCA, another truly rewarding experience.)
The reunion classes parade down the campus wearing their class colors and other ridiculous paraphernalia. I knew you wouldn’t believe if you didn’t see it yourself.

NYC Shows - the Sublime and the Silly

Latest News and Thoughts from Ellyn Weiss

May 26, 2009

Leon Ferrari and Mira Schendel

Ferrari

I recently saw two shows in NYC, one disappointing over-hyped extravaganza and one that was, for me, an almost life-altering surprise. Let me start with the good – “Tangled Alphabets”,the Leon Ferrari/Mira Schendel retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. Ferrari, born in 1920 in Argentina and still living, was politically engaged and ferociously prolific. Schendel, born just a year earlier in Europe, emigrated with her family to Brazil and lived and worked in South America throughout her life.

Schendel

Ferrari

The show does not really make clear the extent to which the artists were in touch during their creative lives and I intend to do some research to find out, but the relationship between their bodies of work is immediately apparent when you approach the first room of this sprawling retrospective.

Schendel

Both use language as their primary visual building block, sometimes words in understandable script, sometimes calligraphic-like marks that have no independent meaning. They use the physical embodiment of language, sometimes as an act of love, sometimes as an instrument of fear and repression.

Schendel

Ferrari

They both work in both sculptural and drawing media and while they produced this art during the birth and high water mark of conceptualism, it is something distinct and apart; it is never bloodless and didactic, but always freighted with emotional power. This show is up until June 15 and you should levitate off your tush and see it. The bus to NYC is only $25.

Younger than J

more younger

Now for the bad news: “The Generational; Younger than Jesus” at the New Museum, featuring 50 artists from around the world aged 33 or less. I deliberately saw this show with two artist friends younger than me and one younger than Jesus and we all had the same reaction – ech. It’s just-out-of-art-school art, full of DIY photography and installations and we all thought that the ratio of interesting to dreck was about what you get on a floor of Artomatic.

young Steven Rhodes

Katerina Seda - good and young

The one piece we all liked was Katerina Seda’s “It Doesn’t Matter”, a collection of drawings of implements for sale long ago at the hardware shop, done by her grandmother at the artist’s urging to try to recapture some hold on life. Not much else in the show seemed to show genuine feeling of any kind. This sentence from Thomas Micchelli’s review in the Brooklyn Rail reflects my views as well: “The most telling part of the exhibit is that many of the works cannot be fully appreciated without the verbal dimension of the wall label.”

Open Studios Report

Latest News and Thoughts from Ellyn Weiss

May 20, 2009

my studio

Betsy Stewart and friend next door

We had a terrific turnout for Saturday’s arts events and open studios up and down the Gateway Arts District, as roughly defined by the Rhode Island Ave./Rte. 1 corridor from Mt. Ranier through Brentwood and into Hyattsville. The largest single concentration of artists’ studios are in our Mt. Ranier complex, but in the past few years enough artists have moved into other enclaves in the area that it really feels like we’ve reached a critical mass.

We had a great day for it

DJ Emo

People were through all day, so much so that I never could get out to see everybody else’s work. That always happens, so I know I should get up early and do it. But, as per usual, I grossly overslept and barely had time to sweep up before the opening.
DJ Emo provided the entertainment.

Affordable Art Fair NYC

Latest News and Thoughts from Ellyn Weiss

May 19, 2009,

What with getting ready for our open studios and my general slothfulness, this is tragically late, but here it is anyway:

Nevin surrounded by art horde

Carol Trawick in NKG booth

On Wednesday morning (a week ago+)far too early, Sondra Arkin, Anna Davis and I popped on the Bolt bus in downtown DC and were still yakking when it pulled into Penn Station 4+ hours later, just 4 blocks from the site of the 2010 Affordable Art Fair, right across the street from the Empire State Building. We were all represented in the Nevin Kelly Gallery booth, situated right next door to the Fraser Gallery booth representing DC (Honfleur Gallery was around the corner also flying the DC colors.)

Girls at lunch in NYC- Anna, Sondra, my spawn Nora and her BFF Larkin

big waxed cones

The Preview event Wednesday night was jammed with folk but it’s too to know how the buying went. Most of us folks from Nevin’s and Cate’ Fraser's booths had a late and lovely tapas and sangria dinner in Chelsea. Emphasis on the Sangria. Yo Cate, no worries– what happens at the fair stays at the fair.
Anna Davis and Andrew W

Mike Janis's gorgeous work

I think the fair had a generally more interesting selection of work this year, and that seemed to be the consensus. As last year, the Brits tended to have well-curated booths – or at least they looked fresh to my eyes. My theory is that when you're payng the cost of international shipping, you get particularly careful about curating. My snarky observation, on the other hand, is that there is too much shiny stuff; a few too many artists seem to believe that when in doubt, pour a quart of resin on it.

encaustics by N. Waldburger

our booth

Local representation was good: In NKG, Mary Chiaramonte, Laurel Hausler, Molly Brose, Wesley Wheeler, Anna, Sondra and moi. In Fraser, Cate had Michael Fitts, Fiona Ross and Andrew Wodzianski, among others. Tim Tate, Michael Janis and Matt Sesow had work in other booths.

Open Studios in Mt. Ranier

Latest News and Thoughts from Ellyn Weiss

May 13, 2009

Be there or be square

This Saturday, May 16, from 12- 5, the artists in beautiful Mt. Ranier and environs will be open to the public to see and buy. Sinel/Stewart/Weiss Studios (Ellen, Betsy and Ellyn) are at 3706 Wells Ave, just behind and across the driveway from the famous Washington Glass School and Red Dirt. We'll have some new work and something to eat and drink and you can see the work of a couple dozen top-drawer artists here in our little complex, then pick up a map to get you to the other studios in the area. The Gateway Arts District folks will even have a little bus to shuttle you around. Imagine that.

So - we're just two blocks from the DC line, you city slugs. If you live downtown, take Rhode Island Ave. all the way out to Eastern Ave. Right on Eastern, first left on Monroe, second right on Otis, follow Otis to the white industrial complex, right in the driveway (past the Glass School), left between the buildings, 3706 is the last studio on the right.

If coming from upper NW or Bethesda, take Military Rd through the park, across Georgia where it turns into Missouri. Stay on Missouri past North Capitol to right on South Dakota NE. Take South Dakota to slight right on 24th NE, left on Rhode Island, right on Eastern, first left on Monroe, second right on Otis to the white industrial complex. Right in the driveway (past the Glass School), left between the buildings, 3706 is the last studio on the right.

More art and real estate

Latest News and Thoughts from Ellyn Weiss

April 27, 2009

Mary Ott's monoprints

Mark Cameron Boyd was there

Another real estate/art partnership, this one on the residential side. Last weekend, the intrepid Phillipa Hughes’ Pink Line Project and something called the Art Registry run by Erin Chase MacKay arted-up a small new condo building on 11th Street called Providence Lofts. And there were other partners, too, but enough is enough.
The art was hung in several of the rather eccentrically-configured tall, skinny units and it most definitely enhanced its surroundings.
Mary Ott hung a couple of walls of her feathery, delicate monoprints. Andres Tremols had a small room of gorgeous embellished prints and the young crowd was well-represented by Eve Hennessa, Cary Oberndorfer and Decoy.

Colin Winterbottom and Ms. Zelig

Sondra and I reflected in the Colin's EOB

Colin Winterbottom, looking very fetching in his ruffled tux shirt (or was it a bull-fighter’s shirt?) showed some of his masterful iconic Washington photographs. If you look closely at the photo here of the Old Executive Office Building, you’ll see the reflections of Sondra Arkin and I. I didn’t plan that – I couldn’t do it if I tried – but it’s so cool.

Ellyn at the Affordable Art Fair/New York

Latest News and Thoughts from Ellyn Weiss

April 27, 2009

My work will be shown in the Nevin Kelly Gallery booth at the Affordable Art Fair 2009 in New York next week, Thursday through Sunday May 7 – 10. There’s a “private preview” on Wednesday evening May 6 from 6 – 9 pm (private meaning you pay $45 for a premium ticket and first dibs at the art) and an “opening night” reception” on Thursday evening, also 6 – 9 pm, which means you get a cash bar.

“Affordable” officially means $100 - $10,000, but judging by last year, you will see much more work at the truly affordable end of that scale, a lot of work on paper and quite a bit of interesting stuff that you might actually be able to take home and love.

The fair is in a new location, 7 West New York at 7 West 34th Street, which is easily accessible by subway. There are over 60 galleries participating, a good percentage from overseas. In addition to Nevin Kelly, DC will also be represented by the Fraser Gallery. The fair website is www.aafnyc.com, which you should check for hours, etc.

Nevin is taking work from 7 artists: Sondra Arkin, Molly Brose, Mary Chiaramonte, Anna U. Davis, Laurel Hausler, Wesley Wheeler and me, Ellyn Weiss. I will be sending mostly monoprints, some totally white-on-white “prints without ink” and four little encaustics. I’ve reproduced several of the pieces here that will be in New York.

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