Quick question before a short break.

Would anyone be interested in starting an informal critique group @ Richmond? This is something I'm personally interested in. If some 1708 folks want to do it I can't imagine it would be that hard to get it started next year. Leave a comment if you'd like to help get the ball rolling.

One of my favorite net based artists.

Heavy Industries from Korea does great experiments with text and Flash. Clever, funny, exasperating, and sometimes overwhelming. This is the site.

http://www.yhchang.com/

Here's a piece I'd recommend.

http://www.yhchang.com/ALL_FALL_DOWN.html

Last night / Another Link

Last nights final event for the Silent Night auction was a blast. Thanks to all of the sponsers and attendees.

I've decided to try posting a link a day at this blog (though honestly around Christmas I will probably take a short break due to travel.)

Today I'd like to direct you to a great link of curated videos out of Harvard Square. http://www.lumeneclipse.com/
They often focus on animation and design, and recently they've used themes to tie their monthly selection together. It's worth a trip into their archives to see some great videos (including some from fine artists like Francis Allys. and William Kentridge)

Come out tonight / Justin's blog

First, I want to encourage everyone to come out tonight, the 20th, to bid on small works.

Second, I'd like to direct you to my blog http://tba.tumblr.com/ , which I've been keeping for a few months. It's perhaps my third or fourth blog, though honestly this 1708 blog is the first time I've used blogger. I use my tba blog to scrapbook my research, ideas and communicate with my students. It's so easy to add links, videos, photographs, etc. The interface at tumblr is amazing. I especially recommend checking out how they archive posts.
Go here http://tumblr.com/
for a few more examples of tumblogs. Sign up for one of your own and sign up as a follower to stay posted on your friends postings.

Silent Night

1708 Gallery presents the second annual Silent Night: Silent Auction Gala this Thursday, December 20th, from 7-10 pm. Come have some champagne, enjoy treats and bid on terrific small works by Richmond artists. And, even better, you can take home your winnings at the end of the night.

I was gallery sitting this weekend and the bids are starting to mount, so get your bid number (it's good for 2 complimentary drinks of champagne!), sharpen your pencils and outbid your best friends...it's fun!

Hello from Justin.

Hi, this is Justin Lincoln. I'm a new member at 1708 and I work primarily with time-based media, such as sound, video and performance. The web is full of resources concerning time-based media, so I will be posting some of my favorites. At the top of my list is the mighty UBU.

http://www.ubu.com/

The areas devoted to 1. MP3s ( sound art) 2. Film & Video (moving images), and 3. Conceptual writing (PDF reprints) are all stocked full of great stuff. Dig in.

wearable art x

the Struggles @ ADA Gallery

The Struggles @ ADA Gallery
New Porcelain Figurative Sculpture by Rob Tarbell
November 16th - December 9th, 2007

W - F 12 - 6p Sat 12 - 4p

The WARTX Winners' Circle

DSC08091, originally uploaded by gallery1708.

Drum roll, please! Please you click on the photo above and it will take you to a flickr set which documents the runway at WARTX!

photography: Amie Oliver

More Scenes from WART X!

BRAVO! A standing ovation would be appropo... at noon tomorrow? For all of the talent and enthusiam that went into making the tenth annual Wearable Art a reality. Stay tuned for more behind the scenes images in the next segment of WARTX.

SIDE STREETS opens tonite!

The new Glave Kocen Gallery is featuring a new exhibition of Richmond Artists, sponsored by Richmond Magazine. SIDE STREETS opens Friday, November 16 at 7pm and it features the work of the artists listed below.

Mehmet Sahin Altug,
Andras Bality,
Melissa Burgess,
Adam Ewing,
Kimberly Frost,
Steve Hedberg,
Sterling Hundley,
Matt Lively,
Laura Loe,
Robert Meganck,
Amie Oliver,
Jay Paul,
Louis Poole,
Keith Ramsey,
Fiona Ross,
Jeff Saxman,
Gordon Stettinius,
Chris Smith,
Doug Thompson,
Ed Trask,
Sarah Walor,
Steven Walker,
Robert Young

A portion of the proceeds of this exhibition will benefit ART 180.

ALSO!
1708's Rob Tarbell will be showing his latest work "Struggles" at ADA Gallery, reception tonight from 6-8pm. Go and see his new porcelain sculptures - they are FREAKYGOOD!

An invitation to taste wine from the Rhone Valley and more...

WARTX - Thank you for your support!

Thank you, everyone - for your effort and energy in producing 1708's Wearable Art X. Please visit us later in the week to see more smiling faces and runway innovations. Videographers and photographers are assembling their images as I write this so we'll be posting more images which capture the spirit of the event.

Salt and Earth

1708 Gallery's newest exhbition, Salt and Earth, by artist Young Kim promises to be an enlightening experience for the November gallery goer...

Young Kim's floor installation of life-size portraits printed on salt and utilizing red clay quietly examinses the nature of human existance. Ephemeral - just the slightest touch or breath of air disperses and re-defines the elements of this work. Young Kim's work is meant to be served as a meditation of time, memory, and the human condition.

Salt and Earth by Young Kim

at 1708 Gallery ...

November 2 to December 1, 2007

Opening Reception: Friday, Novbember 2, 2007, 7 - 10pm.

Young Kim during installation - unafraid of heights ...

DICTATION: a short FOURTH FRIDAY performance at Plant Zero

What: a short performance piece created for Amie Oliver's exhibition "Walk the Walk" with guest Harry Kollatz, Jr . "Walk the Walk" closes on December 23

When: 7:30pm October 26, part of the FOURTH FRIDAY artwalk. Galleries are open from 7 - 10pm

Where: Project Space of Plant Zero Art Center, 0 E. 4th St in the Manchester District of Richond, VA

for more info:
listen to WRIR's ZERO HOUR at NOON on Friday, October 26, Tim Bowring's weekly interview program. Tim has weekly conversations with local artists about art, culture and society in Richmond. Friday, Oct 26 will feature Amie and Harry talking about DICTATION, Amie's new work in WALK THE WALK and Harry's new book TRUE RICHMOND STORIES.

TRUE RICHOND STORIES will be for sale after the performance Friday night for those interested in purchasing a signed copy.

WEARABLE ART X JURY DATE
F r i d a y O c t o b e r 2 6 th VCU FISHBOWL

1708 Gallery’s Wearable Art Show, Wearable X! will be jurying all participating artists this Friday, October 26th at VCU’s fishbowl. Jurying will be split into two groups by alphabetical order of the entrant’s last name.
Please arrive promptly with your garment and jury entry form.
Please review the jury timeline below.

Group One A - K Juried from 6:00 - 7:00pm Please arrive at 5:00 PM to register

Group Two L - Z Juried from 8:00 – 9:00pm Please arrive at 7:00 PM to register

The VCU FISHBOWL is located at VCU’s School of the Arts Building at 1000 W Broad Street, Richmond, VA in Room 301 on the 3rd Floor.

If you have chosen to use a professional model your model has been selected from a modeling call through Splash Modeling Agency. Your model will arrive an hour before your group is juried. Please arrive promptly with your garment ready so that you will have time to meet and work with your model prior to presentation.

If you are providing your own model, please make sure your model arrives promptly so that you will have time to fit your garment prior to presentation.

Please contact the gallery at 804.643.1708 with any questions or concerns regarding this jury date.

Theresa Pollak Award for Excellence in the Arts

1708 Gallery offers a toast and the warmest congratulations to the 2007 recipients of the Pollak Prize. The graphic above is from the October issue of Richmond Magazine. 1708 Artist Board Member Georgianne Stinnett is featured on the right. The awards ceremony for the tenth annual prize was a lovely occasion held on October 19.

Theresa Pollak Award for Excellence in the Arts:

Photography: Georgianne Stinnett *
Vocalist/Instrumentalist: Johnny Hott
Fine Art: Jack Wax
Dance: Pam Turner
Enemble: Modern Groove Syndicate
Film: Sonali Gulati
Lifetime Achievement: Gerald Donato* and Joan Gaustad*
Emerging Artist: Colleen Curran
Applied Arts: Karl Green
Theatre: Richmond Shakespeare Theatre
Words: Laura Browder

* current or former artist members of the 1708 Gallery Board of Directors.

Some Pictures of Teachers Evening Out

Thanks to all the teachers who came to 1708 Gallery's Teachers Evening Out #3 last Tuesday night. We enjoyed getting to meet you and share good food, drinks and the music of percussionist Tom Teasley.

Thanks again to the good people at Main Art Supply and Framing, Baja Bean Company,The Fresh Market, Once Upon A Vine, CRVAEA, Young Audiences - Arts for Learning and Capital One and to all the 1708'ers who supported this fun event!

Raffle!

Maureen and one of the teachers get their groove back.

Teacher's Evening Out

Virginia teachers and friends!

You are invited to 1708 Gallery for an evening of wine, h'ors d'oeuvres and live art.
Join us on Tuesday, October 9th from 5-7:30pm to enjoy a lively party in your honor, featuring Virginia artist Tom Teasley, a world-class percussionist who will give an interactive performance exploring the intersection of rhythm and visual art.

We will also have a raffle of art supplies and goodies from our friends at Main Art Supply and Framing, opportunities to chat with friends, see our new show Simple Dumb Objects, featuring works onpaper by Martin Brief, Dean Kessman and Molly Springfield, and Young Min Moon's exhibit Bomber Girl, Mega Man and Other Creatures.

1708's Education and Outreach committee are delighted to collaborate with Young Audiences of Virginia, the Central Region Virginia Artist Educators Association on this event and thank Main Art Supply and Framing, Capital One, Once Upon a Vine, The Fresh Market and Baja Bean Company for supporting this event.

1708 Gallery presents

S I M P L E
D U M B
O B J E C T S
new works by

Martin Brief

Dean Kessmann

and

Molly Springfield

as well as

Young Min Moon's

Bomber Girl and Megamen


October 4th - 27th

Please join us for our preview reception next Thursday, October 4th from 6 - 7:30pm.

And for First Friday October 5th from 7-10pm.

An Emphasis on Drawing from Fouth Friday @ Plant Zero

Below you'll find several Fouth Friday exhibitions which emphasize drawing as a mode of personal expression.
Amie Oliver, Brad Birchett, Bill Fisher, Janet DeCover, Michael Pierce and more are all showing collections of new work or included in a drawing exhibition in galleries located at Plant Zero in the Manchester District of Richmond. (across the James from Shockoe Bottom)

Fourth Friday receptions operate from 7-10 pm near the corner of Fourth and Hull Streets. Free parking is avaibable in the Plant Zero lot.

You are invited to the opening reception for Amie Oliver's "Walk the Walk" at Plant Zero in Richmond, VA on Fourth Friday, September 28. The artist reception is from 7-10pm and is part of the Fourth Friday Artwalk, located at 0 E. 4th Street in Manchester and is free and open to the public.

"Walk the Walk" consists of Oliver's most recent paintings, drawings and bookworks, many of which originated in France during her 2006 residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris and Moulin a Nef in Auvillar, France. In Auvillar she discovered a parallel between her interest in figurative work and the French landscape. This collection of Portraits, Sunflowers and Stormy Weather features a catalogue with an essay by Howard Risatti and will be on view in the Project Space Gallery at Plant Zero until December 23. This exhibition in three acts will be underscored by a performance/reading on Friday, Oct 26 at 7:30pm and the premiere of her latest video work on Nov 2.

Oliver moved to Virginia from New Orleans, LA in 1986 and has maintained a studio in Richmond, VA since 1988. She has studied or worked in artist residencies in Paris, Germany, S. Korea, Virginia and Vermont. Her work has been exhibited from Maine to New Orleans and internationally in France, Turkey, Germany and Scotland. For more information on "Walk the Walk" please visit http://amieoliver.net. For more information on Project Space at Plant Zero please visit http://www.plantzero.com.

Walk the Walk and Oliver's other bookworks will be available at the reception on September 28 or can be ordered by contacting her through her website.

A portion of the sales from "Walk the Walk" will be dontated to the Virginia Center for Creative Arts.


Also on view in Manchester @ Artspace, part of the Plant Zero Art Center:

MICHAEL A. PIERCE Let's pretend we're bunny rabbits
September 28 through October 28
Frable and Helena Davis Galleries


Untitled
oil pastels, graphite, and wax on paper
24"x24"

"I'm using oil pastels, graphite, and wax on paper, some mounted on panels and some framed under glass. I'm trying for sensuous, aggressive images with sweet colors...a bit of eye candy.

The installation of the work in this show has been heavily influenced by my recent experiences with bookmaking. I've installed the work as diptychs - or in the language of books - "two-page spreads."

It's the content that's important here. Each diptych consists of one square image based on a close-up photo of a man's face and a second identically-sized square image based on a close-up photo of a rabbit's face. My goal is for the juxtaposition of these images, each two-page spread, to cause you to consider the concept of male identity, beauty and sexuality; at the same time I want you to question just how safe (or unsafe) you feel examining these issues." For more info on my work please click here.

- Michael A. Pierce, July 2007

Michael will donate a portion of his sales to Equality Virginia.



New Drawings at INK TANK:

other drawing shows to see: Leaded closes at University of Richmond on September 30 - this Sunday!

TODAY's RTD

Don't miss today's RTD Flair section featuring some of Richmond's (and 1708's) finest: Fiona Ross, Louis Poole, Kimberly Frost and J. Pocklington and more in the reality and mystique of "creative survival". Sally Bowring, currently exhibiting a collection of new work at Reynolds Gallery, is a former 1708 artist member and former Executive Director. She is featured on page 12.

WEARABLE X

WART X promises to be the biggest event of the 2007 season. Artists, designers and creative types gather at La Diff each fall to celebrate the possibilities of what IS wearable and what IS art.

EXPLORE what is POSSIBLE when one combines the two in Wearable X! Be a part of it! Print this application form or pick one up at one up at 1708. All applications are due by October 5.

If you would rather WITNESS the runway rather than STROLL down it buy your tickets now since 1708 has a TRADITION of selling all available seating!

Reservations and information on sponsorship seating is available at 643.1708.

1708 Gallery Seeks Executive Director

Position: Executive Director - 1708 Gallery

1708 Gallery is a non-profit exhibition space in Richmond, Virginia committed to expanding the understanding, development, and appreciation of contemporary art.

Primary Responsibilities: Works with the Board of Directors to support the Gallery's mission and implement Board policy; functions as the public representative of the Gallery; leads the Gallery fundraising; oversees the Gallery exhibition and program implementation; and manages the day-to-day operations of the Gallery.

Click on the Executive Director Job Search Guideline (page 1 & 2) below for a complete prospectus of the positon and application process.

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE - RIGHT
CLICK AND SAVE TO YOUR COMPUTER
FOR PRINTING
















Extended Deadline:
OCTOBER 26, 2007

1708 Gallery is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution providing access to contemporary exhibitions, arts and education programs.

Marilee Keys

St. Louis artist Marilee Keys and 1708 Exhibition Liason
Daniel Calder at the preview for her installation Outside/In.

Outside In is a site specific installation which utilizes Keys junk mail collected over the past 9 months with pine needles and leaves. Utilizing a contemporary version of the old technique of paper quilling, Keys has constructed an environment with works off the walls, floor and and ceiling to create "a new topography, with paper, shadows, space and volume."

1708 as a "floating garden" is kinetic, poetic and relevant and a lovely zen counter to the busy flux of a new season on the Broad St Corridor.

Proposal Guidelines for 3D Multiples: The Object of Production

3D Multiples: The Object of Production

NEW DEADLINE: October 5th, 2007 (see new Prospectus below)

In conjunction with Command Print: The 2008 Southern Graphics Council Conference held in Richmond, Virginia during March 2008 and hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, Department of Painting and Printmaking & the Center for Digital Print Media.

1708 Gallery seeks proposals from contemporary artists working in 3D multiples: art as manufactured object in mass production. 1708 Gallery and the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Painting and Printmaking will select a small group of artists to exhibit their mass produced, three-dimensional works in partnership with Command Print: The 2008 Southern Graphics Council Conference.

For a complete prospectus of the 3D Multiples Proposal Guidelines click on image below (then right-click on enlargement to save, and then print)

Only complete proposal packages including all information listed on the 3D Multiples Proposal Guidelines will be reviewed.

1708 Gallery is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution providing access to contemporary exhibitions, arts and education programs.

For more info contact:

1708 Gallery
319 W. Broad Street
P.O. Box 12520
Richmond, VA 23241
804.643.1708
info@1708gallery.org
http://www.1708gallery.org/
http://www.1708gallery.blogspot.com/




Please see this call on the College Arts Association web site also.

OUTSIDE IN: Marilee Keyes @ 1708

Please stop by 1708 tonite, Thursday, September 6 for a preview of Marilee Key's new installation from 6 -7:30 pm. It's a great time to introduce new friends to 1708!

See you tonite - or at First Friday- 7-10pm!
Please click on the attachment below for more information on Outside In and Marilee Keyes.

LEADED

THE MATERIALITY AND METAMORPHOSIS OF GRAPHITE

University of Richmond Museums

Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art

Curated by N. Elizabeth Schlatter


Elizabeth was co-curator for 1708 Gallery's most recent exhibition, Plane Text, from this past June/July 2007. See the review in Style Magazine.















Christopher Cook, Baroque III, graphite, oil, and resin on coated paper, 2004, (large detail)

On view August 23 to September 30, 2007, Leaded: The Materiality and Metamorphosis of Graphite features more than forty contemporary artworks by seventeen international artists who utilize the physical nature and visual characteristics of graphite and pencils as content in their two- and three-dimensional work. While employing a fundamental drawing medium, the art in the exhibition stands outside of the generalized history of modern drawing. The role of mark-making is subsumed or completely absent from many of the pieces. Likewise, representation is a secondary motivation. - University of Richmond Museums Web Site

Opening Reception:
Wednesday, September 5, 2007, 7 to 9 p.m.7 p.m., Lecture, Camp Concert Hall, Booker Hall, Modlin Center for the Arts"Materiality and Image,"Christopher Cook, artist featured in the exhibition8 to 9 p.m., Reception and preview of the exhibition, Leaded: The Materiality and Metamorphosis of GraphiteJoel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, Modlin Center for the Arts

Workshop:
Friday, September 7, 2007, 2 to 4 p.m.Workshop "Materiality and Image-Making," Christopher Cook, artist featured in the exhibition, Leaded: The Materiality and Metamorphosis of Graphite Artyard, Visual Arts Building, Modlin Center for the ArtsPrograms and exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Museum hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 1 - 5pm. Admission is free. Call 804.289.8276 fro information and directions.

1708 Internship Program

left: former 1708 intern turned full time staff member Maria Dubon, 1708 artist board member Allison Andrews and a friend toast another successful opening - this time at Kim Foster Gallery in Chelsea.




INTERNSHIP

1708 Gallery is a non-profit exhibition/performance space committed to expanding the understanding, development, and appreciation of contemporary art. Founded in 1978, the Gallery continues to give public exposure and opportunity to emerging and established artists. In addition to contemporary forms of painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and works on paper, 1708 encourages works of an experimental and/or temporary nature, site-specific installations, along with video, film, performance art, and the written word.

1708 offers non-paid internship positions for credit and non-credit.

Interns receive hands-on experience and resume-building skills in all aspects of 1708 Gallery’s operations, including:

• gallery openings and receptions
• educational tours and gallery sitting
• fundraising, grant writing, publications and marketing
• archival documentation projects of exhibitions/artists/gallery history
• non-profit gallery administration

All applications must be received in hard copy with all materials in a single envelope. Postmark deadlines for each semester are listed below:

FALL August 15
SPRING December 15
SUMMER April 15

Please submit the following material:

• Filled out and signed application form
• Resume and cover letter with a brief statement of interest

Mail your application to:
1708 Intern Program
Post Office Box 12520
319 West Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23241

For more information about internships please contact:
Jessi Moore
Gallery Coordinator:
jmoore@1708gallery.org
Also visit us on the web at:
www.1708gallery.org
www.1708gallery.blogspot.com


Post Office Box 12520
319 West Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23241


INTERNSHIP APPLICATIONS SHOULD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

Name:____________________________________
Address:__________________________________
City and State:________ Zip Code:______________
E-mail:___________________________________
Home Phone:______________ Cell Phone:___________
College/University:_____ __________________ _ __
Freshman:_____ Sophomore:_________ Junior: _____ Senior:_________
Internship for: Credit _____ Non_________
Emergency Contact:_______________ Phone:____________ Relationship:__________

How did you learn about 1708 Gallery?
____________________________________________

APPLYING FOR Fall ___ Spring ___ Summer ___ Year: ______

AVAILABILITY
Please choose an AM or PM shift
DAYS AM (10 -2) PM (1-5)
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

Saturday/Sunday if needed: __ __

Do you own a vehicle? Yes ___ No ___

COMPUTER SKILLS:

Mac:___ PC:___
Microsoft Word:___ Microsoft Excel :___ Photoshop:___ InDesign:___
Other: _

Please check your area(s) of interest:

___Public Relations
___Development/Fundraising/Grant Writing
___Installation/De-installation
___Artist Relations
___Event Planning
___Education


Signature:_________________ Date:______________

I know you were wondering what happens to the bees AFTER the show...

Remember the bees in Brigham's work in the Plane Text show? Well, local beekeepers Dave and Nancy, along with Vaughn Garland (above) and Joe Essid took bee matters into their own hands today.
I've never seen anything like this, but...I like it! Keeping things interesting down on Broad Street...that's the exhibitions committee all right.Bee-fore.

Dave: Hmmmm... Bees: Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz?

Nancy in her bee gear.

Dave: Nighty-night. Bees: BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!



Bees: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

New home for the beezers and a happy ending. Does art-bee honey taste different than non-art-bee honey? Stay tuned...
And thanks to Joe Essid for the photos!

Just got an exciting email from Aimee~

"1708 Gallery has not one but two of its shows reviewed in the July/August issue of Art Papers!

Pg. 70 – Ledelle Moe and Greg Streak: Drift

Pg. 71 –Gareth Morris Jones: Born Lost

This is definitely an issue not to be missed. Try to get your hands on 1708’s national fame! Congratulations to the artists and to all involved in making these spectacular exhibitions happen."

This is great!!!!!

Check out Style this week for a great review of Plane Text by Andy Kozlowski.

Plane Text, curated by N. Elizabeth Schlatter and Erling Sjovold, will run through July 28th -don't miss seeing works by Suzanna Fields, whose work is pictured below (she is a 2007 Trawick Prize finalist - just found out!), Ron Johnson, Ben Pranger, Martha MacLeish, Claire Watkins and many more.


Empathy, acrylic on canvas, 14 x 14", 2007
Suzanna Fields

Two 1708'ers, Aimee Koch and Anne Savedge have work featured in the Riverviews Artspace in Lynchburg, VA, in A Really Big Shoe Show, running from July 6th until August 26th, 2007.

Congratulations Aimee and Anne!!!
Aimee's walkin' boots above, and Anne's dancin' shoes, below...

1708 GALLERY AWARDED $23,200 FROM THE VIRGINIA COMMISSION FOR THE ARTS

1708 Gallery is pleased to be awarded a General Operating Support grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts in the amount of $23,000. A $6,200 increase over last year’s award, this is a generous endorsement of the Gallery’s mission to expand the understanding, development and appreciation of contemporary art.

1708 Gallery would like to thank the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts for this award and for helping us to bring new and challenging art to downtown Richmond.

1708 is proud of the Commission’s acknowledgement of 1708 Gallery as “the anchor” of the arts on the Broad Street corridor with “wonderful cutting edge exhibitions.” 1708 Gallery strives to give public exposure and opportunity to emerging and established artists. By showing art that questions, challenges and redefines the social and aesthetic boundaries of the visual arts, 1708 offers an opportunity for the public to investigate and discover the most recent developments in contemporary art. Through diverse exhibitions, educational programs and services for the artists and the community, the gallery provides a forum for dialogue that contributes to the development and creation of culture.

Building Picturing ... A Painting Exhibition at The Painting Center

Vic Colaizzi curates Building Picturing at The Painting Center in Soho NYC ...

Featuring: Donald Beal, Martin Bromirski, Pamela S. Cardwell, Hannah Cornish, Michael Davidson, Vaughn Whitney Garland, Lenore Golub, Anne Gray, Julie Karabenick, Russell L. Roberts, Yolanda Sanchez, Jeffrey Stark, Elizabeth Ternhune, Timothy M. Trelease, David Webb, Susan Zurbrigg

Building Picturing features the work of sixteen painters whose approaches range from geometric abstraction to keen observation, from lyrical inventions with mark and color to restrained distillations of the landscape. These diverse painters are linked by their emphasis on the painting as a made thing, the result of an encounter with both tactile and formal constituents; paint and canvas, as well as color, shape, and placement. Neither hermetic nor naïve, these artists do not ignore the last few decades’ challenges to painting’s languages and ideologies in order to practice a nostalgic revivalism. They are fully aware that their images speak within a broader field that includes “high art,” news media, and cartoons, but they do not accept equalization as a premise, nor do they approach painting as a collage of readymade styles. Instead, they invest their very craft with meaning. Never simplistically painting “about painting,” they use the terms endemic to their practice to achieve the human qualities of curiosity, experiment, desire, and commitment.

The Painting Center

52 Greene Street, 2nd Floor

New York, NY, 10013

(212) 343-1060

Curated by Vittorio Colaizzi
Main Gallery and Project Room

June 19 – July 14, 2007
Opening Reception: June 21, 6-8 PM

Talent on the 1708 Gallery Board!

Fiona Ross -Bethesda Painting Award Finalist
Read reviews of the show here and here.

Rob Tarbell - VMFA Fellowship



Congratulations!

PLANE TEXT: A conversation with Brigham Dimick

1708: Are you a bee keeper? Or do you hangout with Beekeepers?

Brigham Dimick: Waxworks was developed out of a desire to have my body replicated by honeybees (Apis Mellifera). Because I am allergic to all forms of hymenoptera including
honeybees, I wanted to engage in a process of art making and choice of material that would be conceptually and personally meaningful. On one level, Waxworks are effigies, saggital sections of my head that are offered to the bees. On another, they are collaborations with these amazing architects of the animal kingdom.

1708: Wow! Did you create this piece especially for PLANE TEXT?

BD: Yes. Artists often work from traumatic personal experiences. These experiences help
one to consider one’s mortality more frankly, and serve as sources for re-imagining the creation of images. In August of 2003, two stings on my hand led to an episode of anaphylactic shock within ten minutes. Had my wife not returned from shopping within 15 minutes of these stings and injected me with epinephrine, I may not have survived. Since then, I have experienced two more episodes of anaphylaxis in my allergist’s office after being injected with
small amounts of hymenoptera venom (these small doses are intended to slowly build up antibodies that lessen reactions to future stings). Because intervention was more rapid during these two episodes, I remained conscious longer and hence, remembered the experiences more vividly. These experiences, though frightening, have been valuable to me in locating specific metaphors about process and material in relation to self-portraiture.

1708: Will you return the bees to their keepers or let them go free after this exhibition?

BD: A bee has a six week lifespan. How process and material interface with representation has been a central concern in contemporary art. One of the legacies of Minimalist art has been its focus on materiality. That is, that the physical substance of the artwork is central to its meaning. Post minimalist art has adopted a focus on materiality that leans toward a more representational language, with broader narrative and conceptual allusions. For example, in “Lick and Lather”, Janine Antoni made casts of her head and shoulders in chocolate and soap, respectively. She then eroded her own representation via processes of eating and cleaning. These processes of licking and lathering influence the interpretation of her sculptures

Similarly, the construction of my artwork is framed by its material and process. The honey is stored in wax cells that have been built by bees in my likeness. The very insects that place me in mortal danger inhabit the void of my body.

Waxworks 1 was made by casting my head and neck in plaster, then casting the negative space around the head in 1/2” sheets of plastic. Each sheet of plastic represents the space around a saggital section of my head, and served as the boundaries within which bees built their comb and raised their brood. These saggital sections were placed in frames that hung in a hive box in an apiary.

In Waxworks 2, three observation hives are displayed with live bees and images within that represent different stages of process of making Waxworks 1, from the plaster head being encased in plastic (left hive), to a photograph of bees working industriously inside the saggital mid-section of my head’s shape, to a representation of my actual head partially submerged in white liquid (right hive). The images are encased in beeswax to promote the bees in these hives to build comb directly on them and efface these images.

Congratulations Louis!

The Queen Visits 1708

The Queen and company (in promoting the new exhibition at the VMFA)interact with 1708 Gallery's exhibition: Absorption and Flow .

Be sure to see the coverage of 1708's current exhibitions Absorption & Flow by Ted Coffey and Rebekah Wostrel and 5.4.07 by Joseph Lupo in Brick Weekly!

James River Film Festival @ 1708

The Real Cinema of John Porter of Toronto: His film projections involve moving screens, swinging and shoulder mounted projectors and "film busking" rigs he uses to project super 8 footage on the sidewalk or street. Thanks to the Richmond Moving Image Coop for bringing the James River Film Festival to 1708 Gallery. John projected images from Toronto along our corner of Broad St between programs on Saturday night.



video and photos: A.Oliver

Upcoming Exhibition

Absorption & Flow: Ted Coffey and Rebekah Wostrel

May 4, 2007: Joseph Lupo

OPENING: Friday, May 4 from 7-10pm

1708 Gallery will feature the work of Ted Coffey and Rebekah Wostrel: Absorption and Flow and Joseph Lupo: May 4, 2007 during the month of May.

This exhibition invites viewers to participate in, reflect upon and question the art and to question what exactly art is and can be. Porcelain and sound come together in the rich collaborations of ceramicist Rebekah Wostrel and sound artist Ted Coffey. Absorption and Flow features collaborative works where the viewers’ interaction completes the pieces and individual works that stretch the boundaries of the imagination.

Joseph Lupo’s work explores the intersection of documentation, communication, and reproduction. His hand-made receipts are a thought-provoking catalogue of buying habits, leading viewers to ask questions about language, consumption, and art. Since he only reproduces receipts that he has received, Lupo explains that “this body of work seen together can also be viewed as a consumer self-portrait.” But he warns that the complexities of assumptions made about both the stores and the consumer can be misleading and that “in this
context, no one true definition of myself can ever be secured.”

Image, top: Joseph Lupo, ink on paper

Image, below: Wostrel and Coffey, porcelain and sound installation