Change my location 
List All Categories
-
- Baltimore Museum of Art (3)
- Grimaldis Gallery (3)
- Maryland Art Place (3)
- MICA (3)
- Artscape (2)
- Contemporary Museum (2)
- Creative Alliance (2)
- Gallery Imperato (2)
- Goya Contemporary (2)
- Jarrett Min Davis (2)
Baltimore Art Examiner
Showing entries for Category: Maryland-Art-Place
Showing entries for Category: Maryland-Art-Place
Convergence at Maryland Art Place
Subscribe
Categories:
0
Comments:
Link
I Dare You Not to Like It: Critics Picks at MD Art Place, Saturday May 5
 Sticky sweet, gooey, delicious, and, even, pretty, this year's Critics Picks at Maryland Art Place is difficult not to like. A harmonious color palette and a decadent approach to surface have combined here into an oddly pleasing and oddly comfortable slice of Baltimore and Washington's top artistic offerings. This year's critic, Robert Berlind, is a painter first, writer second, and this makes the whole exhibit make a lot of sense. There is a subtle emphasis on the visual rather than the conceptual, of more, rather than less. This year we have an even sampling of media and materials, but a return to the simpler things in a big way: all the works draw strength from the formal concerns of line, color, contrast, and texture.  Color Photos by Jaqueline Schlossman Even the photography in the exhibit deals with issues of color, surface, and also the artifice in such concerns. Jaqueline Schlossman's color photos, mounted onto aluminum, offer insight into the artifice of the modern landscape, as well as photography itself. The photographer shoots golf courses, an ironic and timely symbol of success in American culture. These quasi-artificial landscapes are shot across the country, through a lens that is neither romantic or judgmental. Rather, they note odd contrasts between seemingly idyllic, natural landscapes with man-made modifications, and form a seamless entry into an exhibit where surface is everything.  Vincent Carney's "Movie Theatre." Additional photography by Vincent Carney has a painterly, color-filled palette. We've all seen romantic photos of decay/peeling paint ennui, but this series of photos of defunct mental hospitals and other public spaces, with an ubiquitous aqua blue that is shockingly tropical, is so luscious that you want to take a second look. These photos are not attempting to be original or clever - they are about capturing found 'paintings' on film - color and light, surface and texture make for ample content. .JPG) Paintings by Jaquelyn Singer Whether two or three dimensional, this decadent, yet simple, vision prevails, most notably in the other works in the front room. Jacquelyn Singer's paintings and Timmerman Daugherty's assembled sculptures offer an intense, jewel-like aesthetic, competing for our attention in a way that is unselfconscious, loud, and joyful. The basic themes of 'red vs. green' and 'how much is too much?' and 'smooth vs. rough' are at first simply nice, but then build towards a deeper, more gratifying place. Dougherty's work is considered 'outsider art' and has been exhibited at AVAM and it is exciting to see it in a contemporary art context.  Sculptures by Timmerman Dougherty.  Fiber Art, also known as quilts, by Catherine Kleeman. Catherine Kleeman, like Dougherty, is another non-traditional choice in this exhibit. Her work consists of dyed fabric, embroidered stitching, with batting in the middle, otherwise known as quilts. What's wrong with calling them quilts? Like the Gees Bend exhibit, and other popular movements to include 'craft' in the fine art family, Kleeman's works seems at home here. Rich, layered color emanates from these irregularly shaped surfaces, as if the process of dyeing, as opposed to painting, embeds the color and surface. Awkwardly functional and not, these works assert themselves as virtual places, and offer a cushy space to think non-thoughts.  Paintings by Diane Szczepaniak. The theme of color and light continues in the work of painters Isabel Manalo and Diane Szczepaniak, who both, quite differently, deal with the transformative powers of color. In the L-shaped compositions of Szczepaniak, weepy, liquid color vibrates the eyes in a way that would make Albers proud. These paintings, painted simply on paper with drizzley edges showing, acknowledge their strength through their limitations. The color-within-color compositions of Rothko are acknowledged, but have more emphasis on optical, rather than emotional, weight. Paired with the Wallace Stevens poem "Sunday Morning," which lovingly contrasts the eternal with the fleeting and momentary, I am not sure if I find the language 'handle' distracting or enriching. These paintings stand on their own without any sort of language, successfully transforming a flat surface into a hazy window, and edges into gradation.  Manalo, in front of 'Friendly Fire.' DC painter Isabel Manalo uses high key colors to transform scenes of violence and tragedy into pleasant gooey sensation. I am less interested in the content of these paintings than I am in their formal aspects. Manalo has the ability to create marks on a surface which seem to be generated by a natural, rather than human, hand. She also has the good sense to pair her high key colors with their absolute opposite - a raw canvas, or white, unprimed clayboard surface, creating the breathing room these marks need to be believable. At once flat and artificial, and at the same time, living, breathing entities, these paintings manage to charm, with their appealing candy-coated color and also repel, once you realize the secondary subject matter in each piece.  Photographs by Denny Farber. I'm not exactly sure how Dennis Farber's photographs, all seemingly taken on the same afternoon on a New Jersey pier or at an outdoor weight lifting competition, relate to this exhibit. Each photo is ambiguous and slightly creepy. Bodies are cropped in impersonal ways and a chain link fence, and other metallic surfaces, seem to obscure our view, or push us back. The issue of surface and texture is present here, but there seems to be a conflict in vision - are these documentary shots which capture an event or personality or is the emphasis on formal visual issues? I do like that these digital photos were printed LARGE, at 39x49 inches, and pinned simply to the walls without a frame. Their size lends them an authority and a presence, but I haven't decided it if the subject matter is a personal quirk or a formal experiment.  My favorite detail from the Farbers.  Symmes Gardner  Denny Farber offered the droll metaphor that: "Titles are like Xanax - they exist to decrease anxiety." He continued, by explaining that,"They exist for those who need a handle to approach the work, but you, the viewer, have everything you need already." Catherine Keeman suggested that her titles were often lines of poetry, and functioned as "companions" for the work. Jaqueline Schlossman countered that, "If the work doesn't speak for itself, the artist isn't doing their job."  Artist Panel at MAP. The issue of the necessity of words, of their weight and importance in the realm of visual arts, was mentioned by moderator Durant, who noted that the whole point of the panel, as well as the art criticism, is to do just that. Despite this, Durant criticized viewers who are unwilling to let go of verbal security."We mistrust our experience," Durant said. "We are trained to need categories and captions. Art is the one place where experience is uncategorized, and this creates anxiety for some. Especially in museums, I see people paying more attention to the captions or listening to the audio tour, than really seeing the work. Having a confrontation with a piece of art is a challenge because you are without language. We use language to negotiate the difference -- between experience and knowledge." Eventually, the panel concluded that language is a double-edged sword, a necessary stumbling block, and a tool for clarity as well as misinformation. As Berlind noted in the catalogue, "the insights of a perceptive and articulate critic may well serve to open a viewer's eyes and mind...," while at worst a language handle can create a barrier to real engagement and looking. Berlind's statement is paradoxical, in view of the user-friendly, process-based vibe of this show, but offers hope for a slow and visceral read. On multiple writers writing and multiple artists arting: "My hope is that having more voices addressing the art seen here will embolden viewers to form their own opinions, dispelling the notion of a single, authoratative interpretation." The exhibit is up from April twenty-second until May thirty-first. I suggest that you take Berlind's invitation and come and see for yourself. - Cara Ober  Reception after: Board Members Suzi Cordish and Barbie Hart with artist Laura Amussen.  Jacqueline Schlossman, Isabel Manalo, and an art fan.  Hadiah Shafie and Denny Farber.  Jack Livingston - Have a cupcake! Emily Hunter has got the goods.
|
Out of Order at Maryland Art Place Friday, April 11, 2008
Last night I attended and attempted to volunteer at MAP's biannual extravaganza, "Out Of Order," in which ANYONE can hang up a piece of art for free. It's a smart way for MAP to raise funds, since it is a non-profit organization, and it's a great opportunity for artists to get a line on their resume that says Maryland Art Place. Here's how it works: artists hang work on Wednesday, salon-style, first come first serve. Some works end up being hung in hard to see, up high, and out of the way spots, but oh well, its free. The artist sets the minimum bid. On Friday night, MAP throws a huge party - artists come for free and everyone else has to buy a ticket for thirty bucks. Open bar ensues, and everyone knows how charming artists can be when they drink. Then mad shopping explodes and Viola! fundraising happens without annoying requests for donations. Artists and MAP split the profit fifty-fifty.
I was shocked at the number of bodies crammed into MAP. As a member of the programming committee, I try to go to all of their openings and I have NEVER witnessed a turnout like this. Last night there were so many people there that I had condensation forming on my beer bottle. It was steamy and crowded and full of thrilled artists and potential 'collectors.'
It was really amazing and overwhelming - I think there were a LOT of people there who had never been to an art opening before, and, due to mostly affordable prices, lots of people bought work. We need to encourage more of this here in Baltimore.
Works ranged from abysmal to the sublime. It was like shopping at Filene's basement - lots of crap, with little gems hidden in between. Some works were priced insanely high and others were as low as ONE DOLLAR. One stand-out piece was a large, colored photo of a drunken Paris Hilton with one breast hanging out with "Hang In There!" added on (Who didn't have that kitty cat hanging onto the limb poster as a kid?). I desperately wanted to bid on a small Kay Hwang piece, but couldn't afford the minimum bid. I also thought long and hard about biding on Joe Giordano's "Art$" portrait, which got BEST in SHOW according to my friend's drunken "best of" list at the end of the night. Erin Cluley's etching and April Lewis' clay busts were among some of my other favorites, and everything sold. I ended up bidding at the end of the night on a sweet little Soontornsaratool photo and I WON.
At the end of the night my job as volunteer was to keep artists from taking non-purchased works off of the walls, and I got to chat with the folks at Shine Collective, who happen to be my neighbors, and check out their new selection of original, local-artist designed T's. Those who purchased works were allowed to take their carefully bubble-wrapped artworks home and most looked very happy (or drunk?) about their purchases. There was one man leaving who bought a HUGE painting on canvas, possibly six feet long, and on his way out I asked him, "How are you going to get that home?" And he looked at me sort of blankly and then said, "In a cab." Wow. I wish the best to him and to all those who purchased original, local art, and hopefully good kharma as well.
|
Cara Ober
Cara Ober is a celebrated local artist and professor who offers her readers an insider's glimpse of the Baltimore arts scene, as well as a guide to what's ahead.
Cara Ober is a celebrated local artist and professor who offers her readers an insider's glimpse of the Baltimore arts scene, as well as a guide to what's ahead.
- Artscape Public Sculpture Destroyed 'Accidentally' by the City.
- Artist Geoff Grace Wins $25,000 Sondheim Artscape Prize
- Too Many Art Openings TONIGHT - Friday, July 11
- Sondheim $25,000 Prize Exhibition at the BMA
- Cottage Industry at the Contemporary Museum - Photos
- Paper Airplane Opens Thursday, June 26 at Paperwork Gallery
- Louisa Chase and Christine Neill at Goya Contemporary
- A Gorgeous Use of Classic Baltimore Space ... Grimaldis at Area 405
- Jim Dine: Front Room at the Baltimore Museum of Art
- Grimaldis at Area 405 opens Thursday, June 12 from 6-9 p.m.
Search for more posts
subscribe to Baltimore Art Examiner's posts
New Arena in Baltimore Could Mean A 6.5% Sales Tax
Baltimore Country Club: The good life
Baltimore's Hot Vintage Glam Spot Moves to Federal Hill
