wack-y

Tomorrow: Go see Martha Rosler at the University of Maryland, College Park, as part of the Dorothy Orem lecture series on contemporary art.

Rosler is an internationally recognized artist working in performance, video, collage, and anything else you can think of; she's also an author and art critic. Her work was notably featured in WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution (pictured), which came to the National Museum of Women in the Arts back in 2007.

I will most definitely be there.

The lecture will be in the Art/Sociology building, room 2309, from 5:30 to 7:00. Free, I think.

Below: Rosler talks about her work for the NYT, via YouTube.

give 'em enough rope

Thanks to all who attended the WPA's TUG of WAR discussion last night!

Thanks also to the Express for plugging the talk...although, guys, if you're going to use this photo of me, you might try providing some context...

fun in the fundreds

Kriston Capps wrote a nice little piece on Mel Chin's Fundred Dollar Bill Project at the Arlington Arts Center for the Onion. (No, not in the funny part--in THE DECIDER.)

Read it here--and read Kriston's take on why Mel's current project is a "significant contemporary artwork" (can't disagree with that) here.

the craigslist killer!! and, uh, contemporary art.

Whoa, Kerry Skarbakka was on the Today show today!

Kerry is represented locally by Irvine Contemporary.

At least as surprising as the segment itself: Matt Lauer's failure to ask Kerry about serial killers, personal finance, or botox.

Pictured: Kerry Skarbakka, Croatia, C-print, 2006

rested and ready

Thank you, DCist! Thanks, Heather!

And thank you to everyone who came to the opening last night, saw the work of our fine solos artists, or even drew a Fundred, and deposited it in our AAC Fundred repository.

Obviously I'm hopelessly biased--and have been spending a great number of hours with this work recently--but I think all five of these artists are really firing on all cylinders. This is one of the strongest groups I've had here. So if you missed the opening, make sure you come by and see excellent DC artists Steve Frost and Greg McLellan, young Baltimorean destroyer of objects Chris LaVoie, and our two meticulous-minded out-of-towners, Joe Lupo and Jason Lee (both of whom hail from WVA).

Next week: Actual posts! And more about a panel discussion featuring SOLOS artist Steve Frost, Project 4 director Anne Surak, crafter and DCist writer Kelly Rand, and ceramic arts gallerist Rebecca Cross...and moderated by me. It's art vs. craft, in both a war of words and an actual physical tug of war.

voluntarily into the madhouse

Still busy installing and preparing for Friday's opening. More news to announce soon!

In the meantime: This page has been around for at least a couple of years, maybe more, but today is the first time I'd run across it: The Nietzsche Family Circus. The strip pairs a random quote from the German philosopher with (invariably) entirely appropriate art from saccharine, folksy funny pages loiterer, Bil Keane. Guaranteed to keep you diverted for tens of seconds.

"Everbody wants the same, everybody is the same:

whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse."

Posting Notice

Installation time again at the AAC. It's always something, isn't it? In this case, at least it's a good something: SPRING SOLOS opens next Friday, April 17. You won't want to miss new work by two D.C. favorites: Steve Frost's got a new collaborative project, and Gregory McLellan's bringing a room full of recent loopy, intestine-y, spray painted and sanded paintings. You also won't want to miss Baltimore's Chris LaVoie, or WVA artists Jason Lee and Joe Lupo.

Or Lisa McCarty, whose TIME SHEET project seems to provide a sort of riff on an old Jasper Johns piece.

Or, oh yeah, Mel Chin's FUNDRED installation downstairs! Sheesh, I'd better get off of this computer and into the galleries. See you next Friday!

Starting tomorrow night, the charm city's the place to be for the weird weirdness: The sixth annual Transmodern Festival kicks off at the Whole Gallery in Baltimore with performances and video by Jenny Graf, NYC's Shana Moulton, and LA's Animal Charm.

Read Lavanya's Transmodern plug in this past Saturday's WaPo here.

Tickets are $10. Starts at 8:00 pm at the H & H building, 405 W. Franklin Street.

Via c-monster: Marcel Dzama and Patrick Daughters directed a video for the Dept. of Eagles song, No One Does It Like You. Dzama designed the sets and costumes for the video, which premiered at MoMA on March 24. Pretty nifty: