Los Angeles Art News, Art Blog

ART BLOG

ARTICLES FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2010
Contributing Bloggers: John Harbinger Jr.and David Harbrenig

Art Los Angeles Contemporary Art Fair

For those of you who missed last weekend’s L.A. Art Show in the Convention Center downtown there is another opportunity to see what’s happening in the Contemporary art scene. From Jan 28 until Jan31 “Art Los Angeles Contemporary”, an international contemporary art fair is being held at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. It presents 55 top internationally renowned and emerging galleries from around the world, with a strong contingent of Los Angeles galleries being among the exhibitors. Participants showcase some of the most dynamic recent works from their roster of represented artists, offering an informed cross section of what is happening now in contemporary art making. The fair provides an excellent occasion for art collectors, curators, and patrons of the arts alike to enjoy some of great art.

The fair is open from 11am-7pm on Friday and Saturday and from 11am -6pm on Sunday. Admission costs $16 for a one day pass or $24 for a three day pass.

Generous Donations will help Ceramic Artists

Scripps College and the affiliated Claremont Graduate University will shortly be received an influx of cash thanks to a generous donation from an alumna from the class of 1949. A gift of $3.5 million to Scripps comes from Ms. Joan Lincoln and her husband David of Paradise Valley, Arizona who have pledged funding for a new building to house ceramics classes, programs and exhibitions. In addition they have gifted $500,000 to establish an endowment fund for graduate scholarships at Claremont Graduate University. Congratulations to these two, very generous benefactors of the arts. Their kindness will help these institutions retain their places as pre-eminent educators of ceramic artists in Southern California.

The Mona Lisa was not always considered to be a “masterpiece.”

Although the Mona Lisa is undoubtedly one of today’s most celebrated and recognized paintings it was not always considered the greatest masterpiece of all time, the title with which it is often attributed since the 20^th century.

When Leonardo da Vinci left Italy in 1516 to become the French King, Francis 1’s official painter and conversationalist the Mona Lisa passed into the hands of the French crown –and disappeared from the public eye for several centuries. After the French Revolution, Napoleon took a shine to the lady Lisa and had the painting transferred to his bedroom at the Tuileries Palace. In 1804 Lisa was hung in the Louvre, a portion of the palace that was converted into a museum but it went largely unnoticed besides the Michelangelos and Raphaels that were much more esteemed.

In the mid 19^th, it took the interest of French Symbolist poets to transform the Mona Lisa into a ‘masterpiece’ when they referred to her as the perfect example of the ‘femme fatale’-the personification of the woman who is as devouring as she is beautiful. Thus Lisa’s power of seduction began to grow as did the public interest in her charms. In 1911 when the painting was stolen from the Louvre, the French public was shocked into despair at the loss of such a national treasure. The recovery of the Mona Lisa two years later was an international event that cemented her place as ‘numero uno’ among the greatest works of art.

However, it seems that public adoration only incites derision from other artists. The Mona Lisa has probably been the subject of more artistic insults and adaptations than any other painting. Marcel Duchamp set things off in 1919 when he drew a mustache and goatee on her face in a postcard reproduction. He titled his work “L.H.O.O.Q.” which in French sounds like the phrase “Elle a chaud au cul” (She has a hot ass.)

In 1953 photographer Philippe Halsman did a photomontage of Lisa’s face –and prominent mustache –using Salvador Dali dressed in the same gown and set against the background of the Mona Lisa painting. Andy Warhol had his own jab at the painting in his multiple screen-prints of the figure “Thirty Are better Than One” which he completed in 1963. Belgian artist Rene Magritte eliminated the face altogether in his version of La Joconde made in 1960 acknowledging that the face was so well known that it didn’t need to be included. In more recent years, Rick Meyerwitz turned Lisa into a gorilla; Yasumasa Morimura depicted her as naked and pregnant and Artus Pixel clothed her in a Batman costume giving his work the name “Batmona Lisa.”

Despite all the pictorial comments and remarks the Mona Lisa is still the most visible and visited painting of any museum in the world. The more derision the ‘experts’ throw at her the more loved and desirable she becomes to the public at large. Perhaps that enigmatic smile hides more than we can possibly imagine.

N.B. Did you ever notice that the Mona Lisa has no eyebrows?

The Artist returns to L.A. after 40 years absence

Artist Margaret Keane, who had wide spread commercial success in the 1960’s and 1970’s when her cartoonish portraits of big-eyed waifs were copied all over the world, will make a rare visit to L.A. in late March for a show of her work old and new. For Ms. Keane, 82 years old now, this is the first visit to Los Angeles in almost 40 years.

She is coming at the invitation of Phyllis Morris, owner of the furniture and home décor store on Robertson Blvd. She was one of the first dealers to commission Keane to make paintings, and has remained an ardent admirer and collector of her works ever since. Morris is such a fan of the Bay Area painter, in fact, that she never sold her Keane commissions (except two, to actress Megan Mullaly). After 3 years of gentle, but persistent coaxing, the reclusive Bay area artist will be in L.A. to attend the show affording an opportunity to see Keane works unlike those depicting the sad children of the 60’s era.

The showroom’s marketing director has described some of the works as being “more like they’re from outer space,” adding that “Margaret even went through a blue period, like Picasso, and we have some of those will be in the show too.” The pieces owned by Phyllis Morris will not be for sale, but there will be other Keanes from the artist’s own collection, available for acquisition. The organizers are hoping that Kate Hudson, who will star as Keane in the upcoming biographic movie Keane Eyes, will attend the private, invitation-only opening. The show run for two weeks: Mon – Fri March 22 to 26, and Mon - Thu March 29 to April 1, 10-5 each day. N.B.: Closed Saturdays and Sundays.

Blog Jan 27 2010

See you at the L.A, Art Show this weekend – Next month at Bonhams

Many of you will be downtown this weekend for the Los Angeles art show. This really is THE art show event of the year and art lovers and collectors turn up by the thousands to enjoy the many wonderful works on display and for sale. Perhaps we’ll see you there.

For those of you who are more interested in photography or architecture there is an auction at Bonhams & Butterfields over on Sunset Blvd coming up on February 14, 2010 that includes items from the massive archives of photographs, correspondence and selected building plans related to the great architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright.

Highlights from the archive include approximately 600 rare black and white photographs of Wright's buildings and interiors that come down from the architect's own photographic collection. A number of photographs capture buildings that no longer survive, including one of Wright's own homes that burned down and the luxurious Imperial Hotel in Tokyo that was demolished in 1968.

The auction is timed to coincide with the California ABAA Book Fair, held this year in Los Angeles, and will be simulcast from the firm's Sunset Boulevard location to the San Francisco gallery.
Additional items of note from the Valentine's Day auction will include a fine example of a 1848 printing of the Declaration of Independence and a rare Abraham Lincoln letter thanking those who helped celebrate former President Washington's birthday in 1862. Another interesting lot is a copy of Charles Darwin's first published work, A Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle, published in 1839. Among the many literary works on the auction block will be manuscripts and editions of material by A.A. Milne, Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams.

The estimated prices according to the Bonhams catalog are not for the faint hearted and light of pocket.

Testing the limits of Performance Art

We know there have been some really weird performance art shows over the years involving all kinds of bodily mutilations and acts of pain infliction but it seems that not everything can be classed as ‘art.’

In Edmonton, Alberta today (Jan 20) a Canadian judge rejected an argument put forward by a woman on trial who claimed that the attack she perpetrated on her former lover was nothing more than performance art. She was convicted of aggravated assault and intent to kill.

The judge heard evidence that the 56-year-old defendant attacked her lover in 2007. The victim, a woman she had dated a few months, had earlier filed a complaint with the police that the ‘artist’ was harassing her. A restraining order had been issued.

Despite the order, however, the artist showed up at the victim’s home with two knives, officials said. According to her testimony she intended to do a performance art routine in which she would kneel and throw the knives over her shoulder while saying "I am not a violent person." The performance also included “biting the victim and thrashing about on the floor.” Fortunately the victim’s new partner arrived on the scene to intervene and stop the ‘performance.’
The judge described the testimony as "simply unbelievable" and said it "defies common sense" and said that “it could no way be construed as performance art.” She added in her summation that she “categorically and completely rejects the suggestion the assailant went to the house to do performance art.”

Well, looks like the Canadians are a little bit more narrow-minded when it comes to defining the limits of performance art. Or, do we try so hard to be super hip and cool that no matter what ‘art’ is thrown before us, we are too intimidated to make a stand.

Vincent’s letters: insights into his thoughts about modern art and the world he shunned

There are many stories about the life of Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) and his decline into depression, mental illness and suicide. It would seem that the greater the appreciation of an artist’s work, the more need there is to embellish the artist’s life with anecdotes and exaggerations so that the person becomes as extraordinary as the work itself. Few commercial ‘successful’ artists had so little artistic recognition during their own lifetimes as poor Vincent. Though he painted about 900 works and left another 1100 drawings to posterity virtual none found buyers as he struggled with his inner demons and worldly creditors. Artists' letters, often literary treasures in their own right, can provide compelling windows into the private struggles, public triumphs and towering ambitions that shaped their works and lives. Evocative and revealing correspondence, much of it between Vincent van Gogh and his supportive younger brother Theo, has long fueled a fascination with the artist's impassioned story.

Over 800 letters written by van Gogh have survived along with 80 others received from friends and family that were saved by the artist. While many of these letters have been published over the years a full compendium has never been totally assembled and documented until recently. A new publication of all of the artist's extant correspondence has been put together in "Vincent van Gogh—The Letters," a richly annotated and illustrated six-volume work. This impressive insight into the artists mind has published simultaneously with the launch of a related, scholarly and eminently searchable Web edition (www.vangoghletters.org). In tandem and in time, they will undoubtedly reshape the landscape of van Gogh scholarship and the image of the artist long held by the public.

The culmination of 15 years of research, each letter is newly transcribed. Copies of the originals are also posted on the Web site and painstakingly retranslated without adornment or amendment. A few letters, previously unknown or fragmented, have been also authenticated, documented and included in the lot. In the published books, and on the website, many of the letters are accompanied by thumbnail reproductions, many in color, of works of art van Gogh discussed in his incessant musings on painting, including his own. Every person, place or event mentioned, even in passing, is likewise explained in copious notes. The letters show that Van Gogh was a voracious reader, and exhorted his friends to read his favorite authors. Though the letters do not bring new interpretations to the artist’s work one comes away astonished at the depth and passion with which van Gogh's immersed himself into a world we have long thought he knew only from a distance.

Van Gogh's earliest dispatches penned before he took to painting reveal the vision and intensity that in time would shape his art. When he began painting as a profession, the letters took on an even greater primacy, often filled with sketches and visual annotations that ‘illustrated’ an essential point of the text. Throughout the letters we glimpse both his burning ambition and his complex and confused theories about modern art. Interestingly some of the letter-sketches have become invaluable as records of his paintings that have not survived.

To highlight the publication of the artist's correspondence, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has set up a special exhibition running through January "Van Gogh's Letters: The Artist Speaks." It is the largest showing of his work in the museum's history, and weaves together 340 of his letters, sketches, drawings, prints and paintings to offer a rare glimpse into the dense fabric of the artist's creative process.

A statue of Hollywood Actor Johnny Depp

What can you do? Half the “Arts” news coming out of Los Angeles is Tinsletown news. Actor Johnny Depp was honored this week with a life size statue of himself unveiled at the official opening ceremony of the 3rd Kustendorf Film Festival taking place in southwestern Serbia. The festival is held in a mountaintop village founded and designed by Serbian film director Emir Kusturica (originally for one of his movies.) Depp met with Serbian President Tadic upon his arrival in Belgrade and was later flown by helicopter to the festival venue. The two time Cannes Film Festival winner plans to invite Depp to star in a movie about the life of legendary Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. Kusturica told reporters that “Johnny will be my guest for 3 days. He will lead several workshops, have time to drink good wine, watch some good movies and visit locations.”

Good for you Mr. Depp. The statue, by the way, is not exactly a work of art.

Blog Jan 15 2010

Search Engine Algorithms

Many artists are interested in creating and designing their own websites. Once the website is set up and published remember that getting the ‘word out’ to the world, so that art lovers and collectors will find you amongst the billions of competitors on the web, is equally, if not more important. Understanding how major search engines determine website ranking is important information that all website developers need to know. We hope to give you a few glimpses into how search engines work, how they rank web pages, and how to improve your web presence. There are also some tips for “search engine optimization”.

Search engines use mathematical algorithms in their search to provide relevant and accurate results to search request. These algorithms assign values to specific factors like keyword density, page title, meta tags, link popularity, emphasized text and whatever else the search engine determines important. Thus when a search is launched the algorithms total web page ‘values’ are totaled and store scores that are used to rank the web page for search query relevancy. Search engines like Google and Yahoo keep the exact nature of their specific algorithms secret, and they are frequently modified to improve the search results. By keeping them a secret the search engine owners prevent unwanted manipulation of websites, which may lead to poor or irrelevant search results.

Since search engines are the doorways to your website. Your goal should always be to design and create web pages that are optimized for the way in which they seek information. Optimizing will make it easier for the search engine to read and rank your pages.

The big boy out there, of course is Google. It is behemoth in internet technology -a deep crawling search engine that will find every page existing on the net and index it. The Google algorithm, when indexing, will look at: Page Title, Meta Description, Heading Tags, Alt Tags, Link Popularity, and Keyword Density to determine search results. Remember also that web pages will score higher points if other websites are linked to them. This is called “Page Rank” and it is very important to Google’s algorithm.

If you want your web pages to be found by the search engines here are a few tips to increase your chances. Content is KING. Each web page should have a theme and be focused on a specific topic or subject. It is advisable to always include HTML text on your web pages and have keywords and keyword phrases included in the text. Location and frequency of keywords is very important. Identify and know what your target keywords are and be sure to include them in your headlines. Also include them in the text close to the top of the page by mixing them into the first two paragraphs, and repeat them several times. The heart and soul of the internet so it is a good idea to include links to other websites and ask them to link back to your site. Go into the search engines web tools and submit your pages to them and resubmit them any time you make significant changes to your pages. Finally, search engines are important and provide a valuable service to the Internet, so do some homework and learn as much as you can about them.

Sam Francis Sculpture at the Huntington

The Huntington Library in San Marino has installed this week an untitled 6’ X 3’ abstract sculpture by abstract expressionist artist Sam Francis (1923-1994.) The work, weighing about 1500 lbs, is made of corten steel and now adorns the grounds near the north entrance of the Virginia Steels Scott Galleries of American Art. The sculpture was fabricated in 2003, nearly a decade after the death of the artist, following a design that he had developed on small scale models. One of a limited edition of six, this one has been loaned to the Huntington on a long term arrangement by the Sam Francis Foundation.

Sam Francis spent much time in Japan, and was likely inspired by calligraphic forms when he created a series of drawings that were the basis for the sculpture. While in Japan in the 60’s the artist began a series of ceramic pieces, which were his first sculpture pieces. Later, he made a series of drawings and then in 1970s produced some maquettes in plaster like the sculpture that is now at the Huntington. This new work comes a year after the Sam Francis Foundation donated a monumental painting by Francis from 1980 entitled “Free Floating Clouds” that hangs with other examples of American art from the colonial period thru to the mid-20th century in the galleries. The Huntington staff has certainly shown dynamic enterprising spirit since the recent renovations have been concluded. Sam Francis was an avid supporter of public art institutions and a lover of natural environments. The setting for his sculpture in the beautiful Huntington Library gardens is perfect.

The Art of Doodling

Is doodling an ‘art’ form? Are we really cognizant of the scribbled figures, designs and abstract shapes we do while mentally preoccupied elsewhere, or they totally absent-minded random acts of the hand. Can they have artistic value? Typically doodling is not thought out beforehand. It just happens when we are occupied doing something else. However, some researchers think doodling may be much more than mindless drawing; it appears to allow one’s subconscious to ‘draw’ and the brain to concentrate on often complex matters while apparently oblivious to the workings of the hand.

Doodling can be an expression of psychological anxiety, stress or any inner suppressed emotion. Many people often doodle the same thing, time and time again, never realizing the repetition in their designs. Researchers believe that doodling allows your subconscious to drive your imagination. As a silent, non verbal expression of the subconscious it is controlled by the left side of the brain which generates logical responses to situations. Therefore doodling would seem to have some logical reasoning leading to the shapes and figures that ensue.
Some artists have had commercial success selling the fruits of their doodling. A certain Sergio, who was a regular contributor to MAD magazine, sold many of his tiny doodle creations for the magazine’s margins. There have been instances where important scientific, mathematical and medical problems have been solved due to a person’s scratching out doodles on scraps of paper. For example, a mathematician named Stanislaw Ulam discovered the “Ulam Spiral” (a simple method of graphing prime numbers that reveals a pattern of diagonal lines) while doodling lines and numbers. It is the kind of doodling that one would expect from a mathematician, yet without any apparent conscious input from his mathematical training, a new discovery was made.
Some graphologists believe they can make the same analysis about character and personality from examining a doodle as they can from studying an example of handwriting. They look for the same indicators known as the 3-P’s; pressure, placement and practice that reveal insights into personality and emotions by studying the lines, shading, and composition of the doodle.
There have been some very famous doodlers including George Washington, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Keats, comedian Richard Pryor and of course Leonardo DA Vinci. They have all left us examples of their doodling on important documents that have been archived and preserved.

Remember the song “Yankee Doodle.” It was sung by the British soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Back then ‘doodle’ meant –simpleton. However, don’t worry if you catch yourselves doodling - you are part of an illustrious crowd. Perhaps, from one of your doodles, you’ll be able to create a masterpiece that will capture the attention of the art world.

Everybody is an artist! Take a look at the photo below and try to guess who it is..

Blog Jan 12 2010

Here are some details about the artist’s life. He travels a lot but maintains a home in Los Angeles. He is known as quiet, reserved person, who doesn’t go round beating his own drum. He started doing his computer art in the late nineties while he was touring with different bands. Doodling on the computer gave him something to do while staying in all those crazy hotels where musicians have to stay when on the road.

The artist chooses most of the titles for his pieces simply because on the computer “you have to name the file something in order to save it.” He looks for easy solutions so, for example if it’s an image of a man with a hat on, he’ll call the file “hat man.” No deep sub-conscious conceptual messages there!

The artist has been quoted as saying that "In its way "Pop" art is always changing - like "Pop" artists. It's a natural move of things like pop music and even Popeye the sailor man.
"I like Rembrant, VanGogh, Shonberg, Condo, Nall, Max, the list is endless"
He was one of a famous four who left their mark on the world of modern music.

It you still can’t identify the artist –It is Ringo Starr!

Blog Jan 12 2010

New Director at MoCA

For more than a year The Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) has been searching for the right person to assume the post of director. The board has today announced that a New York art dealer - Jeffrey Deitch, aged 57, will soon be filling the vacant position. Educated at Harvard, Deitch began with work career as a Citigroup Inc. vice president where he developed an art advisory and art-financing business. Although it is unusual for an art dealer to find himself director of a museum of the caliber of MoCA, Deitch has proven his capabilities in the past as a curator of museum exhibitions and through show catalogs he has authored.

MoCA’s last director resigned in December 2008 amid a financial crisis in which the museum’s endowment dropped to a low of about $6 million after being at a peak of $38.2 million in 2000. The museum’s very survival was in doubt last year until its billionaire founder-chairman, Eli Broad infused a $30 million grant from his family foundation.

Recently the MoCA has had some successes in raising new funds ($64 million in 2009) and has appointed 10 new trustees to the board who bring new financial resources to the table.

Deitch Projects LLC Gallery was founded by Mr. Deitch in 1996 and operates from three spaces, two in SoHo and another in Long Island City. He has played an influential role in the New York art scene, providing funds, vision and support to young artists; aid that has evolved from his ability to sell high priced Impressionist and Abstract Expressionist works.

Last summer, he invited two up-coming artists to stage an elaborate project called “Black Acid Coop” in one of his galleries, transforming the space into what resembled “the aftermath of an exploded methamphetamine lab.”

The president of the Art Dealers Association of America has commented on the nomination to the MoCA by saying that the new director “is unafraid to engage in very experimental projects and programs which cross over into music, theater and completely different fields.”
The first thirty years of the MoCA have been formidable. We wish him continued success as the new director.

The Trend is for New Art Prizes

Until a decade ago there were few awards that conferred prestige on artists. There is of course the Turner Prize for British art, the MacArthur for creative genius in the U.S. and the Archibald for portraiture in Australia. In recent years, however the number of ‘prestigious’ contemporary-art prizes has multiplied at a furious pace. In 2009 alone, at least a dozen new awards were launched in the U.S. and U.K. sponsored by names such as Pinchuk, Abraaj, and Sovereign, virtually unknown names in the West who have entered the arena with well established brand names like Hugo Boss, which offers a $100,000 prize in collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum. The newcomers are sponsoring diverse branches in the visual arts: the $95,000 Prix Pictet celebrates photography with an ecological message, while the $18,000 Cricket Art Prize, started last year by an Australian tycoon, honors works about his favorite sport. There are lots of new prizes available and artists are more than eager to compete for them.

The proliferation of new prizes marks a dramatic shift in how patrons of culture are choosing to support new art. It comes at a time when many major museums are making cuts in budgets because private contributions are declining. The trend seems to be that philanthropists want to have some control over their donations. In 2008, for instance, a Dubai investment firm founded the $1 million-a-year Abraaj Capital Art Prize. Its mission is to honor and award artists from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. In December, the art foundation launched by Ukrainian billionaire Victor Pinchuk offered two awards: one for the top artists of his homeland, and the Future Generation Art Prize for artists under 35 from anywhere in the world. The second promises $100,000 and the chance to be mentored by art superstars like Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami, who will be serving on the jury.

Art prizes benefit patrons and recipients alike: companies hope to burnish their own corporate brands by being associated with the Arts and of cash prizes help artists continue with projects that might otherwise not be within their means. While the sponsors’ interest in art might be entirely mercenary, the prize money and promotion they provide can be invaluable for artists just starting careers. The honor that accompanies these prizes helps attract the attention of influential gallery owners and collectors. For the general art loving public, the awards mean new cultural events that replace the diminishing events that belt-tightening museums are unable to mount. For example, more than half a million people in Asia, North America, and Europe saw the 2008 Prix Pictet water-inspired exhibit of finalists. The 2009 earth-themed competition has just opened in Greece, where attendance has been excellent and the show is scheduled to travel all over the world.

The increasingly global nature of the art market has created new needs for assessing the vast amounts of art available. The new awards are a reaction to the popularization of contemporary art and they serve as a filter to extract and bring attention to the very best.

The question, of course, remains: Do prizes in themselves encourage more interesting art? Most people agree that the answer is “no.” Creators of difficult, profoundly challenging, or subversive art are not likely to win any of these prizes unless their organizers can think along similar lines to the Turner Prize, which over the past few years has created quite a stir with its bizarre choices. After several years of awarding prizes to artists working in such diverse media as elephant dung, a sliced cow preserve, and a bed strewn with condoms, last month’s winner won the Turner Prize for his carefully crafted abstract gold-leaf frescoes. Perhaps it signals the beginning of a more ‘modest’ era for the Turner, which has attained a world-wide reputation for shocking audiences but a well deserved recognition for enriching struggling unknown artists.

We hope that every new prize will attract as much public attention as possible. In our opinion, the more prizes for artists the better art we’ll get.

The Director of the Getty Museum has decided to quit early.

The CEO and president of the J. Paul Getty Trust announced today that the director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Dr. Michael Brand has elected to step down from his position at the end of this month. He has been with the museum since December 2005 and his 5-year contact goes through to the end of this year. He will be available to serve as a consultant through the end of the summer 2010. David Bomford, associate director for collections at the Museum, will serve as interim director of the Museum until Brand’s successor is named.

During Brand’s tenure he had to deal with issues that arose from claims by Italy and Greece that certain objects in the Getty Museum’s antiquities collection were acquired without sufficient verifications about their origins and the manner in which they came onto the market. The negotiations led to the Getty returning a number of objects that were part of the dispute. However, due to the amiable nature in which these negotiations were conducted by Brand, the Museum now enjoys a mutually beneficial collaborative relationship with Italy. A current display, for example, at the Getty Villa features the Etruscan bronze masterpiece known as The Chimaera of Arezzo which was loaned from the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Florence. Due to warm relationship developed under the guidance of Dr. Brand it is expected that many more exceptional antiquities from Italy will be loaned to the Getty Villa in the years ahead.

Brand has made several significant acquisitions for the Getty Museum since taking up his post. He was the first Getty Museum Director to oversee two Getty campuses, and opened the Center for Photographs, one of the largest gallery spaces in the United States dedicated to the display of photographs.

Of the most recent events organized under his direction was “Drawings by Rembrandt and his Pupils: Telling the Difference” which drew enthusiastic responses from visitors.
The departing director has declined to a give a reason for his sudden resignation however it appears to be an amicable arrangement for all concerned. Other top placed officials at the Getty have praised him and his work consistently since his announcement.

Brand has issued this statement: “I am very pleased at how the Getty Museum has continued to mature into a highly innovative and respected art institution since my appointment in 2005, and I want to pay tribute to the incredible professionals with whom I have been privileged to work at the Getty. I look forward to further pursuing other challenges and interests after a break in Los Angeles,”

The CEO & President Mr. Wood announced that a search committee to identify Brand’s successor will be formed shortly.

A New Art Blog has been launched

If you enjoy reading the Artlanow blog, get some art related humor at a new blog called “That Is Priceless,” launched in November 2009 by a L.A. based comedy writer and producer. In it the blogger writes irreverent articles about masterpieces and mocks the conventional opinions of academics and art critics. Once a day, the site owner, spotlights a well-known work of art -- usually a painting -- and gives it an alternate title that leads to a different perspective of the work.

For example the 1896 painting by John William Waterhouse titled "Hylas and the Nymphs." depicting a scene from ancient Greek mythology in which one of Jason's Argonauts, encounters a group of the mythical creatures in a sylvan setting is renamed “Roman Polanski’s version of Events.”

The idea for the blog came to the comedy writer while he was visiting the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. As he walked through the museum ‘unusual’ captions and titles popped into his head as he looked at the various works, making him quietly laugh to himself.

It inspired him, in his words: “To do a blog that wouldn't take up too much time and that would use my joke-writing talent."

Since being launched in November the blog has highlighted one work a day –every day. He said he chooses works that tell a clear story, avoiding when possible abstract or Impressionist art because he wants his readers not to have to stop and figure out what the painting is showing. His penchant is for Dutch art since “they always have silly things going on in their paintings."

The writer said he often tries to tie a painting to recent news, a holiday or a pop culture event. He was recently at the Getty Center looking for inspiration for his New Years Day blog. For his first blog of the year he used a painting from the Getty Collection called “Mars & Venus, Allegory of Peace and renamed it “Morning After the New Years Eve Party (Trying to remember Her Name).

He said he is thinking about turning the blog into a coffee-table-type book.

Mars & Venus, Allegory of Peace

Blog Jan 7 2010

L.A. : The Creative Capital of the World

Many proud residents of Los Angeles like to boast that their city is the "creative capital of the world." It is a proclamation that often provokes derision from New Yorkers, residents of London or Paris.

However, according to the 2009 Otis Report on the Creative Economy, the claim might actually be “statistically” true. A recent study cited in the report says one out of every six people in the Los Angeles region is employed in some kind of creative endeavor. In addition, to the huge number of people involved, L.A. organizations in creative fields earned an estimated $121 billion in revenues in 2008. The study, conducted with the participation of the L.A. County Economic Development Corporation, used a broad definition of "creative field" that included the entertainment industry, as well as digital media and self-employed artists. L.A.'s claim to cultural supremacy might still be hotly disputed, but it's hard to deny how far the city has come in the fields of arts and culture over the last decade.

Yesterday, January 5 the city officially kicked off L.A. Arts Month with some encouraging words from the mayor about reinforcing city funding for arts and culture. This annual celebration of the area's visual and performing arts is organized by more than 30 local arts groups and political associations, who have put their energies into a concerted marketing effort to raise awareness of the area's cultural offerings.

For now, check out some of the events happening around town this month at http://www.laartsmonth.laartshow.com

A California Artist Pays Tribute to Fallen American Servicemen & Servicewomen

The Saatchi Gallery in London has set up project/exhibition of portraits all rendered in graphite pencil as a tribute to American Servicemen and Women Who Have Died in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2004. (The war officially began in 2003 but the project was not started until 2004.) The 5,158 drawings -to date- are the work of California artist Emily Prince. The idea behind this ongoing memorial project is to bring more public attention to the human cost of war, by turning statistics back into portraits of real lives that have been sacrificed on the field of battle.

Each portrait appears on small colored cards which correspond to the skin tone of soldiers, including details about their appearance, posture, and expression, and personal facts such as their name, age, and place of origin. In addition to paying homage to American Servicemen and Women the exhibit serves as an insight into the racial demographics of the soldiers sent to the arena. Originally the cards were arranged in the shape of the US map, each portrait was pinned on to the soldier's hometown location. As the death toll rose, this arrangement became impractical so the installation at the Saatchi Gallery will now instead follow a chronological order, drawing attention to seemingly endless conflict.

As an ongoing project the artist, in collaboration with the Gallery, will keep adding images until American involvement in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan comes to an end. The work is constantly developed up to and including the day of the exhibition installation. Prince monitors the a US military website several times a week, collecting information and making drawings for every update; those without photos are represented by an empty square labeled with the individual's name and other biographical information.

Emily Prince is an artist based in San Francisco. She graduated from Stanford University with a double degree in Fine Art and Psychology and is currently enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of California, Berkeley.

Blog Jan 5 2010

Beware of Scammers contacting our Members

Beware Artlanow Members of scammers! We received today an email from one of our members who was contacted by “Stan.” Though we cannot read the replies written by artist Arline, the chain of messages she received reveal the stereotype temptations proffered by the fraudulent schemers who plague many of the internet sites exhibiting art for sale. Member Arline wrote:

I have had email messages from a "Stan Thomas" with an inquiry about buying one of my paintings that is on artlanow website. It is a scam. He wants to send a certified check (I've heard that before), and pay the shipping himself to a foreign country. He didn't say which one. Asked for my address and phone number. I replied, saying that I’d never ever sell a piece to a buyer who did not see it personally. He answered to tell me his shipper would inspect it, and could I send my address and phone number. (Yeah, right). I haven't yet let on that I know it's a scam. I just may confuse him some more. I'll forward his messages to you. You'll note that his grasp of the English language is off. That was the first clue.

Use this information any way you think best. Happy New Year to All !! Arline
_______________________________

Hello, Good day to you over there, My name is Stan thomas and i hope this message finds you well.I was going through your works and my eyes caught...., i will like to have them for my new apartment this month. please let me know if the piece is available, if yes let me have the detailed price and more information about it. i will be waiting to read from you asap.

Kind Regards.

_____________________________

Thanks for the message, I am very happy to know that the Pieces is still available for sale. i must tell you i am very much interested in the immediate purchase.I will like to let you know that your payment will be in form of a Certified Check.You dont have to worry about packing, insurance and tax because my shipper will be in the best position to do that as soon as you get the payment.This is because i will be traveling out of the country any moment from now for a business proposal.So get back to me with the information needed to send you the payment I:E :

Full Name
Standard Address
Phone number
Asking price reconfirmation

__________________________________

so that i can proceed in the payment arrangement, consider it sold get back to me asap with needed information.
Thanks.

__________________________________

Its okay but i would have love to do this myself but due to my kind of job,my shipper will be the one to handle the whole of the pieces he will be coming to inspect it and at the same time picking it up for me. so do consider it sold and get back to me with your name and address with your phone # for me to proceed with the payment.

Will await your message. Stan.

Next time you’re at the Huntington Library –Look at it, but don’t sit on it

The Huntington Library in San Marino has put a rare richly carved mahogany chair, considered the first example of the Art Nouveau movement, on display at the Huntington Library. The chair, dated to about 1882, was purchased jointly with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is one of only two known in the U.S. (The 2nd is in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.) They are part of a set of 5 carved by master furniture craftsman and architect Arthus Heygate Mackmurdo, a friend and associate of famous art critic and historian John Ruskin. The other three from the set are in collections in English museums.

The new acquisition, with its floral tendrils and fluid curves, is acknowledged as the seminal piece that predated the Art Nouveau movement in Europe by a decade. A spokesperson for the Huntington Library has said that joining forces with LACMA seemed "the smartest way" to fund the purchase and strengthen both impressive collections of furniture. He described the chair as an "extremely significant piece of revolutionary design" linking the Arts and Crafts movement with European Art Nouveau.

In the competitive and sometimes secretive world of museum acquisitions, curators must often work hard to persuade committees or donors of the importance of a particular work. The chair was identified via a London dealer last fall by a representative of the LACMA but the piece was not chosen as an addition to the permanent collection in 2008. Lacking the necessary funding the LACMA approached The Huntington with the idea of splitting the undisclosed cost and a deal was arranged. The two institutions have agreed to display the chair for two years at a time.

The chair created a public sensation when first exhibited in an arts fair in Liverpool, England in 1885, and, believe it or not, was still getting press coverage years later.

The chief curator of European art at The Huntington describes the chair as “representing the first manifestation of a new design movement that emphasized sinuous, organic forms. This is an extraordinary educational opportunity for our visitors to better understand how art movements evolved and why things look the way they do."

Blog Jan 3 2010
The Chair

More work for Inspector Clouseau

The art bandits in France are having a great start to 2010. Here’s news of another heist hot off the wires following the theft of Les Choristes by Degas which we posted earlier.

French police reported today (Jan 2) that about 30 works of art, including paintings by Pablo Picasso and Henri Rousseau, have been stolen from the home of a private collector near Marseille, southern France. The theft was carried out while the owners were on vacation abroad, said a police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of department policy. The break-in was discovered by a caretaker at the home in La Cadiere-d'Azur, a medieval Provencal village surrounded by vineyards and olive trees. The value of the stolen art has not yet been declared, as the owners, returning home from the week-end, have yet to take an inventory. An investigation is being carried out by police in nearby Marseilles as well as by France's Central Office for the Fight against Traffic in Cultural Goods.

Art theft is off to an early start in 2010

Remember the joke about thieves who stole a painting from a French museum and got caught a few blocks away. They told police “We stole de Monet for de Monet but the Van Gogh only a few blocks ‘cos we forgot to put Degas.”

Well, art thieves have already made their mark on 2010 as French police searched throughout the weekend for a painting by Impressionist master Edgas Degas, stolen from an exhibition in Marseille during the Christmas to New Year period. Unfortunately, in this case, it looks as if the thieves had taken the time to fill up the tank on the van as they have made a clean getaway.
The small pastel painting, entitled “Les Choristes” (the Chorus Singers) was painted in 1876-1877 and was on loan to the Cantini Museum from the Musee d’Orsay in Paris where it is part of the permanent collection. Inspector Clouseau will have plenty of work to do tracking this one down.

Juried Art Competitions and Events: Deadlines January 2010

The Fontbonne University Fine Arts gallery in St Louis, Missouri announces a call for "The Figure Now" - a juried art exhibition, February 5-26, 2010. Prizes for First Place: $1000, Second Place: $500, Third Place: $250. The Jurors are Sophie Jodoin, Alex Kanevsky, Nicholas Uribe. This is open to all emerging and established artists residing in the United States and Canada. Drawing, painting, sculpture, mixed media and photography are accepted. All entries must portray the human figure. Work must fit through standard door. $35 fee for up to 3 entries. Send a SASE to: Fontbonne University Fine Arts Gallery, 6800 Wydown Blvd, St Louis, MO 63105. Questions? Contact Ellen Gochnour, Director: Fontbonne University Fine Arts Gallery at egochnour@fontbonne.edu or Tel: (314) 719-3580. DEADLINE JANUARY 6, 2010

Chowan University's Department of Visual Art announces a call to artists for an exhibition to be held from March 1 - April 1, 2010 in Murfreesboro, North Carolina. This is open to artists 18 years or older residing in the United States. $40.00/ for up to three submissions. Send a SASE to: Carolyn Phillips, Department of Visual Art, Chowan University, 1 University Place, Murfreesboro NC 27855. Questions to Carolyn Phillips at phillc@chowan.edu DEADLINE JANUARY 8, 2010

"27th Annual Sculpture in the Park" is reputed to be one of the finest outdoor juried exhibitions of three-dimensional artwork in the United States. It will be held August 6-8, 2010 in Loveland, Colorado's prestigious Benson Sculpture Garden. Sponsored by the Loveland High Plains Arts Council, the 27th Annual Show will host over 170 of the finest sculptors from around the world. Each year, this outstanding exhibit attracts thousands of art lovers and collectors from across the country. Sales at the show have exceeded $1,000,000 in previous years, with approximately three-fourths of the artists selling their work. The application fee is $35. Acceptance Fee is $100. Prospectus at www.sculptureinthepark.org or call (970) 663-2940. DEADLINE JANUARY 8, 2010

LaGrange Art Museum & LaGrange College Lamar Dodd Art Center in LaGrange, Georgia has a call out to artists for the "LaGrange National XXVI Biennial", February 26 - April 17, 2010. $15,000 in Purchase Awards plus Juror Merit Awards. Juror: J. Richard Gruber, PhD, Director, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, University of New Orleans. Open to all artists in the United States over 18 years of age. All work must be original, and have been completed within the last 2 years (and not previously exhibited in a LaGrange National Biennial exhibition.) There is a $30 for 4 images. For prospectus, visit www.lagrangeartmuseum.org or send a SASE to: LaGrange Art Museum, 112 Lafayette Parkway, LaGrange GA 30240. Questions? Contact Owen Holleran at LGNXXVI@lagrangeartmuseum.org or call 706-882-3267. DEADLINE JANUARY 8, 2010


		The Rittenhouse Square Fine Arts Association announces a call to all U.S. artists for 2 upcoming fine art shows, slated for June 4-6, 2010 and September 17-19, 2010 at Rittenhouse Square Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Oils, Acrylics & Watercolors; Mixed media; Graphics: Etchings, Woodcuts, Serigraphs, etc.; Sculpture; Drawings & Pastels; No functional work accepted including jewelry, pottery, furniture, clothing, etc. $35 application fee. Booth fee of $400 is due upon acceptance. Applications are available online only: http://RittenhouseSquareArt.org. For more info please contact Steve Oliver at RittenhouseArt@aol.com or call 877-689-4112. DEADLINE JANUARY 9, 2010

"Embracing Our Differences" invites all artists, photographers, professionals, amateurs, teachers and students to participate in its 7th annual visual art exhibit celebrating diversity. The exhibit will contain 39 billboard-sized (16’ W x 12.5’ H) images of the selected artworks to be displayed in April at Island Park along Sarasota's, Florida beautiful bay front and during the month of May in North Port, Florida. Since 2004, the exhibit has been viewed by more than 550,000 visitors. Final selections will be chosen based on artistic excellence in reflection of the theme Embracing Our Differences and on how effectively it will read outdoors when enlarged to billboard size. Artists are encouraged to use bold saturated colors and strong lines. Final selections will be made by a 3-judge panel of professional artists, curators and art professionals. $3,000 in awards. Prospectus (PDF format). There is No entry fee. Email: michaeljshelton@comcast.net or call 941-928-0567. DEADLINE JANUARY 9, 2010

The Red Caboose Gallery in Vienna, Virginia has a call out to artists for an exhibition, February 5 –March 4 called "Thumbprint." 1st Place will get a solo show, 2nd, 3rd & 4th place group show. Jurors: Cathy Wilkin & Donald P. Depuydt. Artworks should address the issue of environmental consciousness. Artists must be 18 years of age or older and reside in the continental United States. Any medium or style, including but not limited to painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, sculpture and digital media may be submitted. Work must be current since 2008. There is a $25 non-refundable fee for 1-2 entries, $35 for 3-4 entries, and $5 for each additional entry. http://www.joanmariegiampa.com/red_caboose_gallery/thumbprints/thumbprints.html for a prospectus, or send a SASE to: PO box 2182, Vienna, VA 22183. Questions to Giovanna Bargh at Giovanna@joanmariegiampa.com or call 703-349-7178. DEADLINE JANUARY 9, 2010

"Photography: Impact of a Medium" The 2nd City Council Art Gallery + Performance Space in Long Beach, CA has a call to all artists living in the U.S. for an exhibition February 20 - March 24, 2010 in Long Beach, California. Awards: $500, $300, $200, $100. Juror: Robbert Flick. Film, digital and manipulated film/digital images accepted. See website for more info and a prospectus: http://www.2ndcitycouncil.org Send a SASE to: 2cc, P.O. Box 90503, Long Beach, CA 90809. $10 per entry (work) member; $20 per entry (work) non-member. Questions to: Cheryl Bennett at 2ndcitycouncil@earthlink.net or Tel: 562 901-0997. DEADLINE JANUARY 10, 2010

The Public Trust of Jacksonville, Florida seeks artists for the “Timucua Art Contest.” All participants will electronically submit a detailed pencil drawing of one of the three Le Moyne/de Bry original works, together with 4 other examples of your past paintings so the judges can select the ten best artists to be commissioned. Artists must also submit an entrance form which may be downloaded at http://www.publictrustlaw.org/index.php/Timucuan-Art-Contest.html. -see "Art Contest Entrance Form." No entry fee. If you are selected as one of the ten commissioned artists, you will complete a painting (sized 24" by 30") by June 11, 2010. At that time you will be paid your $2,500 commission and shortly afterward be featured with your fellow top ten artists in showings of all the new art work at 2 premier art galleries in Jacksonville. For complete guidelines, please visit Questions? Contact Andrew Miller at adm@publictrustlaw.org or call (904) 247-1972 ext. 418. DEADLINE JANUARY 11, 2010

For the"2010 Art Show at the Dog Show" all artwork must include a dog or dogs in the subject matter. The competition is open to all artists 18 years of age or older. Works must be original and must be executed solely by the person in whose name they have been submitted. All entered artworks must be priced and for sale. The show will be held March 3rd to April 11, 2010 at City Arts, Century II & Kansas Coliseum in Wichita, Kansas. Total cash awards of $8400. Jurors: Barbara Jedda McNab & Tammy Bality. There is an entry fee of $40 per artist for up to four works, CD Rom submissions only. Visit www.artshowatthedogshow.com for more info, or send a SASE to: Art Show at the Dog Show, 7520 Oak Tree Lane, Kechi, KS 67067-9010. Email: Patricia Deshler wichitapudel@aol.com or call 316/744-0057. DEADLINE JANUARY 13, 2010

“Artists Wanted” invites all artists to participate in "The Power of Self" - a competition about your story, your images and the power they hold. The self-portrait transcends medium, style and period, existing in the vast space between the personal and prophetic. Show us your self-portrait! A panel of judges including actor Steve Buscemi, director/producer Chris Weitz, Guggenheim Curator Helen Hsu and Flavorpill Founder Sascha Lewis will select one portfolio for The Grand Prize: Six months of free living at The Edge in NYC or $7007 cash, an art-star reception in New York, NY, international publicity, and a feature in 3rd Ward Magazine. There’ll be a public vote for a $1,000 People's Choice Award. $10 per image. http://www.artistswanted.org/ Questions to info@artistswanted.org DEADLINE JAN 14, 2010

The American Color Print Society announces a call to artists for the "Historic Print Festival", March 7-28, 2010 at The Historic Plastic Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Multiple monetary awards: $50- $500. Juror: Christine Pfister: Pentimenti Gallery, Philadelphia. Professional Print Artists should submit a CD, with 1 art print [no photos], print size incl. frame 36" or smaller, art printed within 2 years; jpg image 4x6, 150dpi; and SASE to: I. Williams, 61 Coppermine Rd., Princeton, NJ, 08540. $20 entry fee. Prospectus: http://www.americancolorprintsociety.org. Questions? Contact Sy Hakim at syhakim@msn.com DEADLINE JANUARY 14, 2010

Six by Six Gallery in New York, NY announces an open call for a monthly un-juried show featuring all six inch square works of art. Work must be completed on gallery-supplied six inch square canvas. Artists retain all rights to their original work, and enjoy an 80% commission on all pieces that sell. The $40 Gallery Submission Package guarantees a one month exhibition in Six by Six Gallery. Each month, the best of the best will be selected for a separate juried exhibition at our companion gallery in the West Village, Charmingwall (www.charmingwall.com). For more info, visit http://store.6x6gallery.com/gallerysubmissionpackage.aspx. Questions? Email Katie McClenahan at Katie@6x6gallery.com or phone 212-777-2355. DEADLINE JANUARY 15, 2010

Infiniti Art Gallery seeks entries for an online international exhibit Whimsical Art, February 15 - April 15, 2010. Awards: $1300 USD total value. Eligible artwork must be whimsical or present a humorous, outrageous and/or distorted perspective. An unlimited variety of medium and disciplines are accepted. Finalists will be selected for artistic excellence. Artists are encouraged to submit early and participate in the pre-exhibit show which opens January 5, 2010. There is an entry fee of $25 USD; 1 or 2 works of art per submission: Prospectus available at: http://www.infinityartgallery.com/upcoming10 DEADLINE JANUARY 15, 2010

The Soundry in Vienna, Virginia announces an open call to artists for "Obscura: Click the Light Fantastic", January 30 - March 5, 2010. It is a juried show of photography that focuses on non-traditional equipment and printing techniques. Examples of Approved Equipment: pinhole cameras, camera obscura, Lomography–Holga and Diana cameras, Polaroid, homemade cameras. Working with something else? Email us for approval. You will probably get it. $25 entry fee. Download Prospectus at http://www.soundry.net/2009/11/call-for-entries-obscura-click-
the-light-fantastic-photography-show/ or send SASE to: 316 Dominion Rd. NE Vienna, VA 22180. Info? J. Crawford at jennifer@soundry.net or call 703-698-0088. DEADLINE JANUARY 16, 2010

The Nadar Award for Students: The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards seeks fine art students and recent graduates for an open juried photography competition. Amateur photographers are also welcome. Awards: Free travel, lodging and tuition at a Santa Fe Photographic Workshop + $3,800 in cash prizes. Jurors: Reid Callanan; Roy Flukinger. There is a $20 entry for 3 images + $7 for each additional image. For complete details, visit http://www.thegalaawards.com/prizes_and_awards.html. Any Questions? Contact Victoria Hardy-Werbin at press@thegalaawards.com DEADLINE JANUARY 17, 2010

The LACDA (Los Angeles Center For Digital Art) in Los Angeles, California announces a call for a juried art competition. Entrants submit JPEG files of original work. $30US for 3 images. All styles of artwork and photography where digital processes of any kind were integral to the creation of the images are acceptable. This is an international competition, open to all geographical locations. The selected winner receives 10 prints up to 44x60 inches on canvas or museum quality paper (approximately a $1500-$2000 value) to be shown in a solo exhibition, February 11-March 6, 2010. Five second place winners will receive one print of their work up to 24x36 inches ($150-$200 in value) to be included in upcoming group shows. Register online: http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=195164. Jurors: Edward Robinson, L.A. County Museum of Art (LACMA); Max Presneill, Torrance Art Museum; Rex Bruce, L.A. Center for Digital Art. Questions? Email us at lacda@lacda.com DEADLINE JANUARY 19, 2010

The Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art in San Antonio, Texas announces a call for “Salon International 2010”. This is an international juried exhibition for April 10 - 30, 2010. $8,000 Best of Show. Total Awards $30,000. Jury: Greenhouse Gallery Owners. Judge: Everett Raymond Kinstler, N.A., AWS. Open to all traditional representational original oil paintings. Dimensions may not exceed 30 inches. Painting(s) must have been painted after April 10, 2008. Each artist is allowed to submit 3 entries. See prospectus for fee structures. Download prospectus (PDF format) or send SASE to: Salon International 2010 Prospectus, 6496 N. New Braunfels Ave., San Antonio, TX 78209. Email questions to Jason Smith at salon@greenhousegallery.com or call 800-453-8991. 2 DEADLINES: ONLINE JAN 15, 2010 for SLIDES JAN 22, 2010

The Fraser Gallery in Bethesda, Maryland is currently accepting submissions for the "9th Annual International Photography Competition", March 12 - April 3, 2010. This opportunity is open to local, national and international photographers aged 18+. No work previously exhibited at the Fraser Gallery. All work must be for sale. $950 in awards. Juror: Catriona Fraser, Director. $25 for 3 entries. Visit http://www.thefrasergallery.com/photocomp.html for prospectus, or send a SASE to: The Fraser Gallery, 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E, Bethesda, MD 20814. Email C. Fraser: info@thefrasergallery.com (Tel:-301 718-9651.) DEADLINE JANUARY 22, 2010

The Manifest Creative Research Gallery & Drawing Center in Cincinnati, Ohio is seeking artwork for a international contemporary juried art exhibition, March 5 - April 2, 2010. "Paint" is open to anyone. Professionals as well as students are encouraged to enter. $10 per work submitted. Juried by a committee of professional and academic advisors. Visit http://www.manifestgallery.org/paint for a prospectus. Email questions to Jason Franz at Jason@manifestgallery.org or Tel: 513-861-3638. DEADLINE JANUARY 22, 2010

The Jacob Riis Award 2010 is open to all professional and amateur photographers working with digital or traditional photography or combinations of both. There is no theme; the images will be evaluated as a cohesive body of work, rather than individual images. Each portfolio should be composed of a minimum of 8 images and a maximum of 12. Awarded Portfolio will be published in Eyemazing magazine + $3,000 cash prize - Book publishing - Exhibition in Europe. Jurors: Susan Zadeh (Netherland), Per Valentin (Denmark), Paul Cava (US), Alexander Scholtz (Germany). $80 first portfolio; $30 each additional. Visit www.thegalaawards.com. Email: Victoria Hardy Werbin at press@thegalaawards.com DEADLINE JANUARY 24, 2010

"Small Works 33rd Harper College National Art Exhibition" is a call to artists for a national art exhibition, March 29 - April 22, 2010 in Palatine, Illinois. Purchase Awards. Juror: Douglas Stapleton, Assistant Curator of Art, Illinois State Museum Chicago Gallery. Open to all artists over 18, living in the USA. Artwork must be no larger than 22" in largest dimension (including frame for 2-D work). All media except jewelry, film, video/digital video. Submit digital images only. $25 for up to 3 entries. Download prospectus from website: http://www.harpercollege.edu (see Small Works). Any questions? Send an email to smallworks@harpercollege.edu DEADLINE JANUARY 25, 2010

This is a call to artists for a juried art show called Wide Open at the BWAC Gallery in Brooklyn, New York, March 13-28, 2010. $1000 Best of Show, $500 Visitor's Choice, $250 Curators' Choice, 11 "Best of..." Certificates. Jurors: Ann Straus - Associate Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC; Nicolas Baume - Director & Chief Curator, Public Art Fund, NYC; Mark Hughes - Director, Galleria Lelong, Chelsea, NYC; Bill Murphy - Associate Professor & Gallery Director, Printmaker & Painter, Wagner College, NYC. $45/3 works + $25/3 additional. Download a prospectus, visit http://WideOpenArtShow.org or send a SASE to: BWAC, C/O OHM, Inc., 76 Degraw Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231. Questions? Contact Jane Gutterman at info@WideOpenArtShow.com or phone 718-596-2506. DEADLINE JANUARY 25, 2010

Oil Painters of America 19th Annual Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils is for artists residing n the USA or Canada or Mexico who are members of the OPA (current annual membership $60.)The exhibition will be held April 30 - May 30, 2010 at The Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. Thirty Awards in excess of $50,000, including a $22,000 Best in Show. Juror: Nancy S. Crookston, OPAM. $30 for first entry, $15 for second. Download prospectus (PDF format) or send a SASE to: Oil Painters of America, P.O. Box 2488, Crystal Lake, IL 60039-2488. If you have any questions please contact Rosemary at mail@oilpaintersofamerica.com or call 815.356.5987. 2 DEADINES: SLIDES JANUARY 8. ONLINE JANUARY 25, 2010

Still Point Art Gallery announces a call to artists for "Geometric Abstraction," an online exhibition to be held February 10 to April 6, 2010. Juror: Christine Brooks Cote, Director, Still Point Art Gallery. Open to artists 18 years of age or older living in the United States who submit original artwork in any medium except video and wearable art. View prospectus. A non-refundable fee of $25 for up to 3 images. Additional images may be submitted for a fee of $5 each. For more info contact Christine Cote at director@stillpointartgallery.com or Tel: 207 837-5760. DEADLINE JANUARY 25, 2010

"Nude Nite" - the largest Nude Art show in the USA will be held February 11-13, 2010 in Orlando, Florida and March 4-6 in Tampa, Florida. There is a $40 entry fee. All Media accepted. No size limit. Artist may submit up to 2 works. This show is in its 11th year in Orlando and 2nd year in Tampa. Hundreds of artists’ works are shown and are for sale. This Multi-media event attracts thousands each year. Nude Nite has strict content guidelines for graphic interpretations so please visit http://www.nudeniteorlando.com for the rules or email Kelly Stevens, Director at Kelly@NudeNiteOrlando.com for more information. DEADLINE JANUARY 28, 2010.

White Stone Gallery in Philadelphia, PA announces a call to artists for the 2010 Juried “Fine Art & Faith Exhibit” to be held at their location March 5-28, 2010 and online for one year. All entries must be inspired by the Bible. Open to all U.S. residents at least 18 years of age. Eligible entries must be available for sale and include all mediums, excluding digitally manipulated work, video and installations. One work of art will be displayed as the featured piece of the exhibition. $40 for up to three digital images (jpg), plus $5 for each additional image. For prospectus, visit http://whitestonegallery.com. If you have any questions? Contact White Stone Gallery at info@whitestonegallery.com or call 215-482-7700. DEADLINE JANUARY 29, 2010

The Seattle Erotic Art Festival takes place April 20-May 2 at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall in Seattle, Washington. Jury Picks, Audience Picks. Artists age 18 and older—of all backgrounds, countries, ethnicities, cultures, genders and sexual orientations—are encouraged to submit erotic art of any media, to be considered for the Exhibition. $15 for up to 5 works per artist (waived for non-North American artists). We are also seeking merchandise for the Festival Store and submissions for the Literary Art Showcase. Visit http://SEAFArtist.com for prospectus. Questions? Please contact the Seattle Erotic Art Festival at seafinfo@gmail.com or call 206.312.9166. DEADLINE JANUARY 30, 2010

Pop Revolution Gallery in Mason, Ohio announces a call to artists for a juried art exhibition entitled “Kiss Me-Art inspired by Gustav Klimt” February 13 - March 10, 2010. $1000 in total cash prizes. Juror: Pattie Byron. The exhibition is open to artists 18 years or older living in the United States. All work must be your original work, in tribute form to Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss." Exact duplications will not be accepted. All mediums welcome. $25 for first entry, $12 for each additional, up to 4 total entries. Visit http://www.poprevolutiongallery.com for a prospectus. Questions? Please contact Ben Neal or Francis Michaels at poprevolutiongallery@gmail.com or call 513-492-7474. DEADLINE JANUARY 30, 2010

Slow Art Productions announces a call to artists for "Digital Art Extravaganza", April 1 - 24, 2010 at the Limner Gallery in Hudson, New York. There is $2200 in publication awards. Open to all artists 18 or older, working in any aspect of computer digital print media. $35 entry fee. Prospectus available online at http://www.slowart.com/prospectus/digital.htm or artists can send a SASE to: SlowArt Productions, 123 Warren St, Hudson, NY 12534. Email questions to Tim Slowinski at slowart@aol.com or call 518-828-2343. DEADLINE JANUARY 30, 2010

MyArtworkSpace.com invites artists to enter its 2nd Annual Winter Art Competition. 1st Place: $1,000, 2nd Place: $500, 3rd Place: $250, 4th Place: $50 to Blick Art Materials. The competition is open to artists anywhere in the world. Artists do not need to be members of MyArtworkSpace.com to compete. Only original artwork conceived and created by the entrant, will be considered. $20 fee. For details, visit http://myartworkspace.com/contest.php. Email Amanda Furlano at support@myartworkspace.com. DEADLINE JANUARY 31, 2010