artPark

Artomatic 2009

 

Artomatic is here! 2009 marks its 10th anniversary and it opens to the public on May 29.

Whoa. Wait. What's that you say? "What the heck is Artomatic?"

In a word (or two), Artomatic is a month-long art festival in DC featuring over 1,000 visual artists and 600 performing artists. And it’s FREE to the general public. This year, Monument Realty and the Capitol Riverfront BID have provided a brand-new 275,000 square foot building to host Artomatic, right next to the Nationals Stadium. The event features NINE floors of visual and installation art, theater performances, dance and comedy, three music stages, street performances such as fire dancing and drum troupes, and a film screening theater. Workshops and seminars are also held all month. You better eat your Wheaties before you go.

With four stages, four bars and a lounge on each floor, the 10th Anniversary Artomatic is bigger than ever. 52,500 people attended Artomatic last year, and 70,000 are expected this year. This is a do-not-miss event. Yes, naturally, you have to wade through a heck of a lot of junk art (repeat: nine floors covering 275,000 square feet), but there are always some serious gems in the crowd. Personal favorites will include the crew from the Washington Glass School (Michael Janis, Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers, et al), and some great work coming out of Sunderland, England (38 artists are jumping the pond for this event) giving this year’s Artomatic a decidedly international flare.

Stay tuned to the Artomatic blog for live reports and a plethora of personal opinions. Something interesting is always happening at Artomatic.

Fun with Architecture

Why the heck didn't they have this when I was a kid?

 

Brick by brick, Lego has been building its way out of the near bankruptcy it suffered around the turn of the century. It has done this by a seemingly simple strategy — making awesome product after awesome product. Now it is releasing the almost ridiculously fitting Architecture series, beginning with the Frank Lloyd Wright Collection.  First up is Fallingwater, the iconic cantilevered waterfall-house outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

 

  

 

All I had growing up was the Lego set that had a total of about 5 shapes - all rectangles.  I guess that's why I have such fond feelings for the American Foursquare.

 

 

 

["Agnes" by Tony Cochran.  Distributed by Creators Syndicate.  May 12, 2009]

Art related comics

As a fan of Chuck Close, I got a double chuckle out of this one.

 

["Get Fuzzy" by Darby Conley.  Distributed by UFS, Inc.]

AAF NYC 2009 Report #2

After a week of exhibiting at the Affordable Art Fair in NYC, Laura and I returned home late yesterday. Whew. What a week!. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that working one of these art fairs is like one long, glamorous cocktail party. After five days of setting up, exhibiting, selling, and taking down all the art, we feel closer to grungy, blue-collar workers than fancy, well-groomed gallery owners. Very physical. Very emotional.

So… a recap of the show: Overall, this was a far cry from the killer show we had here last year; but, we knew it would be hard to match 2008. One issue we faced this year was that the Fair changed venues, and I strongly believe the new location attracted an entirely different clientele. Last year it was in a terrific building in Chelsea (the heart of New York’s art scene). This year it was on the eleventh floor of a glitzy building across the street from the Empire State Building – a touristy location to say the least. The vibe was definitely different.

With that said, Migration’s group of artists once again woke up the New York crowd to what we are doing here in central Virginia.

Numerous times we were told that Michael Janis’ glass pieces were the best work in the entire fair. All we could do was nod knowingly. This of course was the main reason we brought his work to the show.

 

Our newest (and youngest) artist, Ashley Williams, had people leaving skid marks on the floor when her exquisite and detailed work on paper caught people’s eye forcing them to spin on their heel as they walked by.

 

Tim Taunton’s surreal and colorful narrative paintings were also show stoppers – leaving most simply shaking their head in disbelief that any artist could have such beautiful and lyrical thoughts and execute them so beautifully.

 

Arturo Mallmann’s meditative paintings pulled virtually every passerby into the booth. It is always fun to see viewers’ blood pressure lower as they fall into Arturo’s glowing, meditative work.

 

We spent a good amount of time listening to people trying to decide exactly which of their friends/co-workers/family members were depicted in Brian Mallman’s drawings. His graphite on board drawings had everyone nodding their approval.

 

And, Warren Craghead’s drawings on paper forced people to stop, sit and read. Picking out this level of originality is no easy task at one of these fast paced fairs.

 

The most important result of the Fair was to give our artists the attention their work deserves. Nothing beats successfully exhibiting art in NYC. Although we had hoped for better sales, understanding the economic strains people have endured over the past year leaves us feeling pretty good about the results. Maybe next year the Fair will return to Chelsea where it belongs.

AAFNYC 2009 Report #1

The Affordable Art Fair is off to a good start.  Wednesday was the Private Preview Opening Reception and yesterday was the first full day of the show (with another Preview cocktail reception in the evening).  So far, the crowds have been great.  There's a lot of enthusiasm.  Plenty of interest.  Tons of talk.  But there is a general reluctance for people to pull the trigger and buy like they did freely last year.  Regardless, we are thrilled with the booth, our artist's work and the numbers thus far.  Here are a couple of pictures of Migration's booth:

 

Specifically, we've gotten terrific feedback on two artists (who we did not show here last year).  Ashley Williams' work on paper (pictured below left) has stopped people in their tracks.  Great to see a young artist impress the seasoned NY collectors.  And, glass artist, Michael Janis, is getting all the praise we expected (pictured below right).  Warms our heart.

  

Of course, being in NYC is a blast for Laura and me.  Sights, sounds and tastes of the Big Apple.  Other than the hard work of the Fair, we are enjoying this "vacation."  Oh... and the view out our hotel window is of the Empire State Building.  Kind of nice to open your blinds and and have that iconic spire looking down on you.

Stay tuned for more reports from the Fair.  I'm sure Saturday will be a big day!

The Affordable Art Fair New York City

The stock market is rising. Consumer confidence is up. And the art is hot! This promises to be a great week at the Affordable Art Fair. May 7-10.

AAF NYC is the place for new and established collectors to discover and buy paintings, drawings, sculptures, video, photography and limited edition prints from distinguished galleries, all priced from $100 - $10,000. This year the Fair will host more than 60 galleries from the US, Europe, Asia, Canada and South America. AAF 2009 will debut at its new home at 7 West 34th Street.

Be sure to stop by Migration’s booth (C-204) and say Hi (mention artPark and we will be extra nice). And take a close look at these artists we will be exhibiting:

  TIM TAUNTON

 MICHAEL JANIS

 BRIAN MALLMAN

 ASHLEY WILLIAMS

 ARTURO MALLMANN

 RANDALL STOLTZFUS

WARREN CRAGHEAD