The State of Art: A Fine Art Blog by Ann Priftis

Where Baltimore Artists, Residents and Businesses Intersect - Art of Home

2007-10-28T19:45:00.000-05:00

Growing up in inner city North Minneapolis, Andrew Zientek understood that art was absent from the daily lives of his underprivileged friends and neighbors. Zientek pursued fine art to the graduate level, but abandoned UMASS Dartmouth program when he became dissatisfied with other artists’ disconnect to the outside world and their seeming lack of social responsibility. Inspired by the words of a professor and drawing from his own life experiences, the artist moved to Baltimore and founded Art of Home.

Art of Home is a unique non-profit that ‘seeks to introduce, through the use of art, other ways of seeing the world to low income families while providing shelter and physical comfort.’ Art of Home purchases shells of homes in low-income areas and rehabs them with the help of Baltimore-based artists. Art materials are provided by Zientek and thru an on-line and in-person portfolio selection process, chosen artists are given creative freedom to design one-of-a-kind projects that suit the individual spaces. The finished houses are then offered to low-income families in the area.

Currently, Zientek is soliciting Baltimore-based businesses for corporate sponsorship. As always, Zientek states, “finding talented artists in Baltimore who understand the importance of participating in a project like this is the easy part – it’s encouraging companies to step forward in support of the idea that’s more difficult. Art of Home has the potential to unite groups which are currently isolated from each other, but it requires cooperation from all.

For more information on Art of Home: www.artofhome.org.

Art and Social Change - The Baltimore Bioneers Conference

2007-10-11T11:49:00.000-05:00

Does art have the power to effect social change? On Sunday, October 21st at the Baltimore Bioneers conference, moderator Nancy Haragan of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, will discuss this very question with panelists Peter Brunn of Art on Purpose, Gin Ferrara of Wide Angle Youth Media, Cheryl Goodman of Dance Baltimore and the Community Dance Project and Joan Weber of Baltimore Partners for Enhanced Learning.

An underlying theme of all these organizations is that art, in various forms, should be accessible to the masses. With visual arts classes cut from many public school curriculums and arts-related field trips rare, these community-based arts organization serve a growing need in the community. The children and adults that these programs reach are offered opportunities to learn painting, drawing, dance and performance skills that would normally be offered only to those able and willing to pay for instruction or students already attending institutions with art built into the curricula.

Participants in these programs develop new skills, build confidence, learn to work collaboratively and maybe most unique to art, learn a new way to express themselves through creativity. In a city that leads the nation in murders, it would be nice if more people could express their anger, rage and frustration in ways that avoided conflict.

A vital aspect of the plan to transform society through art needs to be addressed. The society facilitating this change also needs to support its converts. Baltimore City must do something to retain today’s children responding positively to this art intervention and help them thrive in their hometown as the artists of tomorrow. By establishing more working opportunities for artists in Baltimore, the city will retain and grow its arts population who can then promote further social change by inspiring a new generation of budding dancers and photographers. Baltimore’s arts institutions can attract and keep top talent and draw national crowds. The city will not simply be a relatively inexpensive training ground for emerging artists. Instead of artists biding their time to make the move to NY or LA, Baltimore will become an arts destination in and of itself.

During Sunday’s discussion, I seriously doubt anyone will dispute the fact that art can effect deep social change, but I would like to hear ideas on how we can keep this social change moving forward in a city that needs to step up its commitment to the arts.

For more information on Art and Social Change, Sunday, October 21st please log onto the Baltimore Bioneers website: www.cultivatingchange.org

Capturing Baltimore in the Best Light: A. Aubrey Bodine

2007-08-23T16:29:00.000-05:00

Baltimore raised A. Aubrey Bodine was a pioneer in the field of photojournalism and considered a leader in the 20th century Pictorialist movement. Over the course of his 50 year career at The Baltimore Sun, the self-taught photographer developed a style that captured the essence of Baltimore’s working class and Maryland’s embodiment of the Chesapeake aesthetic.

Bodine’s daughter, Jennifer, is devoted to exposing viewers to her father’s important and large (over 4,000 pieces) body of work and will be on hand at an upcoming retrospective exhibition in the University of Baltimore Student Center Gallery. (See bi-line for details). I attended a lecture by Jennifer at Bodine’s latest Baltimore Museum of Industry exhibition and learned as much about the history of Baltimore’s development as I did about the photographer. Bodine had a knack for humanizing industrial scenes – to view his work is to meet the faces behind the city’s tremendous growth and to gain furthur appreciation for the effort that created Baltimore as we know it today.

Press Release

Born in Baltimore in 1906, Bodine began his career as a messenger at the Sunday Sun at age 14. He submitted artful photographs to his editor and became a feature photographer at 21, a position he held for the next 43 years. In 1928, "Thomas Viaduct at Relay" ran with a credit line for Bodine.

"That probably was the first, or one of the first, credit lines he ever received," wrote Harold A. Williams, author of Bodine: A Legend in His Time. "… From then on his byline appeared regularly and became one of the best known staff names in Sunpaper history."

In 1946 the Sun’s Sunday Magazine, widely known as "the Brown Section" so named for its sepia print, debuted. Bodine and the Brown Section were inextricably linked. He traveled throughout Maryland documenting people at work and play: farming, oystering, hunting, fishing, blacksmithing, clock making, baking; nurses, the Amish, watermen, ships, airplanes, woodsheds, cathedrals, wagons, animals, trains, homes, bridges—in short, almost everything of interest in the 20th century. These pictures were of the highest quality, artistic in design and lighting effects far beyond the usual standard of newspaper work.

Bodine built his reputation among the serious photographers of his day. He entered and won numerous competitions worldwide, receiving numerous awards and honors for his remarkable images. From first to last, Bodine considered himself a newspaperman, an attitude evident in all of his work. He did not "take" pictures, he "made" pictures.

Bodine died in 1970, after 50 years with The Sun. His photo

Baltimore's Art Scene is On The Verge...

2007-06-20T15:10:00.000-05:00

...The Only Thing Missing? Patrons.

With Baltimore City's art scene reaching a fevered
pitch, now's the time for curious art buyers to really
investigate the local talent. The overwhelming
majority of the artists involved in breathing new life
into the Baltimore art world are not yet represented
by galleries, are underpriced and most importantly,
are under-recognized. These are the 'diamonds in the
rough,'and I'm telling you where to look for them:

Frustrated by the lack of "real" galleries in which to
show their work, Baltimore-based artists have spent
the past couple of years establishing their own
venues. Most recently, Metro Gallery located on the
corner of Charles St.'s 1700 block opened with a show
of local artist, Seth Goodman's pieces.

Gutter Magazine (http://www.guttermagazine.com/)is a
prime example of what a group of talented
photographers and writers can create to showcase their
talents and help each other gain more visibility while
also adding to their professional portfolios.

Reporting on the grassroots (and more mainstream) arts
events happening in the area is Bmoreart
(http://bmoreart.blogspot.com/)- a blog created and
maintained by several of the repeat players in these
underground ventures.

With all of these arts venues converging, the
Baltimore City art scene should be thriving. A key
component is missing however, - the patron. Gutter
Magazine is being read by those already in the local
art fold or on the very periphery of it. Metro
Gallery's opening was packed...with artists and
artists friends. And the same people running the
galleries, taking the photos and organizing the
information are the the topics and readers of
Bmoreart's blogs.

Be the first patrons to begin inquiring about these
artists' work and you'll have a distinct advantage
over those who decide to jump on the bangwagon a year
from now. The highly saught-after artwork of
tomorrow, will be created by the talent developing the
Baltimore art scene today.

Maryland Lawyers for the Arts Rises Again

2007-06-07T14:51:00.001-05:00

"Left-Brain Help for Right-Brain People"

Marcia Semmes, the recently appointed Executive
Director of Maryland Lawyers for the Arts is on a
mission to "let people know we exist." Since 1985,
the nonprofit organization has undergone many changes, but it's sole mission remains the same:
to provide pro bono legal assistance to
income-eligible applicants in all creative
disciplines. In addition to providing pro bono
attorneys to clients who earn less than $30,000 per
year ($150,000 for organizations), MLA holds regular
walk-in free clinics for artists with legal issues.

The MLA's success is primarily dependent on its
volunteer attorneys. MLA's attorneys come mostly from
the Baltimore area, including nine of the top 10
largest firms in the area, and donate their time to
assist artists and arts organizations in legal matters
ranging from forming 501(c)(3) non-profits to complex
copyright infringement cases, to landlord tenant
disputes. Clients are served both on an individual
basis, through referrals handled at MLA's main office,
and at walk-in clinics conducted at the University of
Baltimore Law School, where two of MLA's board members are professors.

Educational programs including panel discussions,
arts-based business seminars, and workshops on legal
and business issues are an important aspect of the the
MLA's offerings.

As a member of the Maryland business community, the
citybizlist reader can use his/her entrepreneurial,
legal, and or managerial experience to guide artists
of all disciplines living in and around Baltimore
City. Professional legal and business advice can make
a crucial difference in the life of a working artist.
By removing the financial barrier that usually
prevents artists from seeking this advice, the MLA is
tilting the odds of success in the Baltimore artists'
favor.

www.mdartslaw.org

An Interview with Cheri Landry, Director of Gallery Imperato

2007-05-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

What would you consider to be the gallery’s overall aesthetic?

Gallery Imperato is a contemporary gallery showing cutting edge work in a variety of mediums and styles. The artwork falls within a wide range of price points and the artists are both emerging and mid-career. For example, in August we are exhibiting the work of an artist who has had numerous shows around the world and whose work is included in museum collections.

What are some of the challenges of running a gallery in Baltimore City?

Well, Baltimore doesn’t have the best art market. I’ll show an artist who sells well in New York, but this doesn’t translate into sales here. Developing the right clientele is the challenge – Baltimoreans don’t really spend money on art.
Gallery Imperato has come under fire in the past for being a gallery within an office space. (William Imperato’s Wireless Communications has its home base here).

What are your feelings on the combination business/retail gallery model?

I don’t mind it because the space is unique. Without the office being there, the layout of the gallery would be much different. One great benefit of sharing the space is the sharing of resources – the accountant, the utilities, etc. There is a distinct separation between the gallery and business when there needs to be. At night, on weekends and during openings, the space is strictly gallery-oriented.
Your exhibition roster is booked thru the beginning of ’08.

How do you select which artists to show?

I base my selections on the quality of the artwork. Resumes don’t matter to me. It’s a bonus if an artist has a long client list, but it’s not a pre-requisite by any means.

How do you advise beginning art collectors?

A lot of the clients that come into Gallery Imperato are looking to purchase their first piece of art. In addition to perusing the current exhibition, I encourage them to browse our inventory book while I give them some background information on the artists and their artistic practices. I always encourage clients to purchase what they love – but often when a client realizes that art can also be an investment, it almost justifies the purchase for them.

What art/collecting trends are you spotting right now?

I don’t really see any trends. The art world seems very diverse right now.

What’s one thing you would like people to know about Gallery Imperato?

That we exist! We are in the Foundry on Fort Ave. –a ground floor space in a wonderful building, but not a location with a lot of foot traffic.

Gallery Imperato’s current exhibition, “Flora & Fauna,” runs thru June 16th.
Gallery Hours are Tuesday – Saturday 11-7, and Sunday and Monday by appointment.
www.galleryimperato.com

The First ArtDC….a Long Way from Miami

2007-05-07T14:41:00.000-05:00

From April 27th – 30th, the country’s newest art fair was held at the Washington Convention Center. ArtDC was comprised of 80 international galleries dealing in artwork of all mediums including new media and performance art. The ArtDC website seemed confident that this expertly gleaned group of galleries would catapult DC to a new level of art appreciation, “becom[ing] the art world’s newest intellectual playground…,” I suppose if only for a long weekend.

There were several warning signs that this was to be no Art Basel.

While the choice of the Convention Center was prime in terms of accessibility and amenities, the vacuous feel of the exhibition hall created a bizarre apathy. Whereas many art fairs are downright claustrophobic with art, overwhelming the viewer and creating a very palpable sense of urgency, the atmosphere in Hall E was alarmingly relaxed. Viewers were literally strolling and exhibitor booths were plopped in the center of the room with tremendously open space surrounding the cubicles.

No sooner had I passed through the hallway lined with TVs and entered the main hall, than I was approached by a gentleman who asked me for a glass of wine. When I realized he identified me as a waitress by my all black outfit, I knew I wasn’t in South Beach anymore. I dismissed his blue-suited befuddlement and moved on to the art. Ahh the art. In a word, ‘underwhelming.’

In an almost homage to the recently deceased Vasarely, Op Art swirled and spiraled around each corner. Uninspired propaganda – esque paintings and collages were prevalent. And, predictably, large scale, uber-glossy C-prints covered in plexi provided a discreet way for viewers to check their hair in just about every booth. The artwork chosen by the participating galleries seemed suspiciously last-minute.

All was not lost however. A handful of galleries pulled through with well thought-out presentations of talented artists. Brancolini Grimaldi Arte Contemporanea from Florence showed the outstanding photography of Massimo Vitali. While large scale and, yes, covered with plexi, these photos are breathtaking in their complexity, composition and color scheme. There’s no wonder as to why Vitali is collected by museums, corporations and individuals around the world. Baltimore’s own Goya Contemporary stood out with their consistently interesting, high-quality works on paper demonstrating a level of refinement that stood out from the crowd. Hand-blown vases from Berengo Studio in Venice were stunning and Norman Parish’s booth was a faithful recreation of his successful Africa and African Diaspora – focused gallery in Georgetown.

In general – ArtDC was safe. Maybe this is because dealers and galleries had no idea what to expect from this first year “trial run.” Perhaps it was the replacement of the traditional opening night preview gala with a non-profit benefiting, ticketed cocktail reception that sucked the wind out of the event. The relative lack of publicity may have also contributed to the buzz-less atmosphere.

Will ArtDC become a major player on the art fair circuit? Only if the fair’s organizers treat year one as a jumping off point and not a mold for ArtDC.

Is 1% Enough?

2007-04-27T10:54:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday morning from 11:10 – 12:30, the Baltimore City Council convened to debate the merits of the “1% for Public Art” initiative. As defined by the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts’ (BOPA) ordinance, the program’s purpose is to establish a public art commission; requiring the allocation of certain construction project funds to be used for artwork; abolishing the Civic Design Commission, and generally relating to public construction projects. The basic premise is to continue a program that allocates 1% of any municipally supported project exceeding $100K in eligible construction costs to the commission of artwork. A public art commission consisting of 9 members will select appropriate art for the spaces. The 1% can be used to create a commissioned piece, or can be used to repair or maintain an existing public artwork.

Presided over by City Council Person, James Kraft, the mood in the council chambers was a positive and supportive one. All seemed to be in favor of the bill passing with relatively minor changes to the ordinance’s wording.

What bothers me about this whole idea is the proposal’s completely underwhelming concept. As councilman Kraft openly stated within the first few minutes of the hearing, there are few, if any, current municipal projects exceeding $100K. So, leaders of BOPA two artists and I had convened in the chambers to beseech Baltimore City to dog ear a meager $1K per project for public art. Somehow the program seems slightly outdated.

“Percentage for Public Art” programs have been in place in cities across the country for years: New Orleans has commissioned over 240 artworks since their percentage program began in the late ‘70’s, Philadelphia’s program is responsible for over 300 pieces since 1959, and between 1977-1979, percentage for public art programs were implemented in Albuquerque, Denver, Atlanta, Seattle, and Anchorage. Baltimore was ahead of the curve being the second city in the nation to implement a percentage plan. The 1% may have stretched a little further then.

Since the plan was put in place, Baltimore’s 1% has gone towards the acquisition, commission and maintenance of more than 300 works of public art. I guarantee that the 1% in 1982 allowed the city to commission and acquire some great pieces, but in 2007 when unknown artists are charging $3K for a canvas, this 1% will do nothing more than contribute to an artists’ stipend or defray the cost of mailing publicity postcards.

Of course I am supportive of the ordinance and I commend the city for continuing the program. But, thirty years after Baltimore initially adopted the 1% for Public Art Program, shouldn’t we be adjusting for inflation and not merely reinstating the same idea? Ultimately, city supported arts initiatives give the message to the city’s residents and visitors that art is important to the local community and economy. However, when the support is 1%, what message does that send? Is something always better than nothing or, in this case, can it sometimes undermine the very reason why it was put into place?

Making Art in Baltimore: an Interview with Daniel Stuelpnagel

2007-04-13T13:42:00.000-05:00

Painting since 1985, Daniel Stuelpnagel studied at Davidson College in North Carolina and then at MICA. Stuelpnagel has spent time painting in the Galápagos Islands, Italy, Spain, Northern California and most recently, Hawaii. The artist’s unique abstract paintings are included in numerous private collections and have been commissioned for corporate collections, including the law offices of Funk & Bolton in Philadelphia and Baltimore. During 2006, the artist helped establish Load of Fun Studios in the Station North Arts District of Baltimore and was the February, 2007 cover story of the bilingual Japanese art magazine, BIFROST. Stuelpnagel currently works out of two studios in Baltimore City.

You’ve traveled around a lot – creating in locations around the world and across the country. How does life as a working artist in Baltimore compare?
You experience different influences everywhere, and a working-class city like Baltimore is a wonderful place to be prolific, to interact and also to be secluded when that is essential. In terms of an art-critical group of artists, dealers and collectors, Baltimore makes for a tough audience, and it’s a relatively small and very competitive world. The standards here are as challenging as San Francisco or New York, where the volume is higher but the aesthetic is also more market-driven, pop-culture, in short more forgiving. The close-knit art community in Baltimore is a continuous cycle of inspiration and creation.

As an artist, what would you like to see changed about Baltimore?
Nothing. Everything is changing in a natural cycle anyway; this is a very unique time. I happen to believe that Baltimore has for artists some of the important attributes of New York in the ‘50’s, or San Francisco in the ‘30’s or even Paris in the 1920’s. Cost of living is relatively low, studio space is cheap and plentiful. And our position between Washington, DC and Philadelphia brings a vibrant music scene and constant interchange of influences.

Has Baltimore hit its stride artistically?
We’re getting there. I hope that our efforts will continue the cycle of growing a grassroots arts scene. We can progress to greater sustainability that will make it tougher for emerging artists to go elsewhere when their work is appreciated here on the home front, both critically and financially. Part of that is the recognition by Baltimore collectors that the emerging artists within the city are potentially the world-class art investments of tomorrow. This can be a self-fulfilling belief, when patrons of the arts can invest in the careers of local artists, thus financing their continuing endeavors. Creatively, there is already so much to experience and appreciate here.

Baltimore artists are frustrated by the lack of venues here to show and sell their work. What’s your take on this?
There’s a difference between places to show artwork and places to sell artwork. Baltimore has no shortage of either, looking at the exciting multimedia and integrated exhibitions happening at Whole, G-Spot, Station North, SubBasement, MICA, and more mainstream venues like Creative Alliance, MAP and School 33…most emerging artists start with alternative spaces. And there are more galleries and established venues than ever before, with three new galleries opening in the past year and more in the pipeline.

Do you think that Baltimore galleries have an obligation to show work by Baltimore artists?
No. Galleries cast a wide net and bring in work that satisfies their standards of quality, their specific aesthetic considerations, and, realistically, what the dealer thinks their clients will be interested in purchasing. I think galleries feel inclined to show out of town artists – it’s easier for them to bring in and sell more established outsiders than to consistently take chances on local artists. There is an easy cachet to exhibiting work by a New York artist, for example, and the ratio of artists to galleries ensures there will always be plenty of artists eagerly waiting in the wings for exhibition opportunities in all regional markets. But I do believe that Baltimore artists are more than up to the challenge of regional, national and even international competition in the free market.

People are constantly comparing Philadelphia’s art scene with Baltimore’s. Is this a fair comparison?
Aesthetically I see pretty close parallels in the galleries. There is continuing interest in contemporary narrative surrealism, and many artists building on 20th century foundations to create some fascinating new genres; there is vibrant activity in photography, political and social commentary through installations and electronic media, and the austerity of elegant and persistent minimalism; if anything I think the Philadelphia exhibitions that I see appear somewhat less heterogeneous than those here in Baltimore, so perhaps the more fully-developed art markets also necessarily become more self-referential and less aesthetically diverse.

Along these lines then, how would you convince collectors to purchase artwork by Baltimore artists?
Some of the most interesting and exciting art is coming out of MICA, being a focal point of a generation of emerging artists. The students and recent graduates are producing multi-dimensional, highly focused, sophisticated work. Their art reflects our world, the reality of technology being so integrated into their lives and the global interactions that emerge, as well as the dualistic response of immersion in our natural environments. As an artist, I view this as inspiration. As a collector – they’re the wave of the future.

Is there a Baltimore art aesthetic?
Authenticity. Baltimore’s critical sensibility emerges from authenticity. People in this city are discerning in a grass roots way. It’s a visceral and honest culture with high expectations, and I think it is a tough set of criteria to satisfy, that speaks well of the Baltimore art audience. I always wonder what it’s like for out of town artists to show here. Baltimore is judgmental…in a good way. If you can measure up here as an artist, you should have a huge sense of pride.

So what you’re saying is, ‘if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere,’? I thought that was New York.
Yeah, well…I guess it’s Baltimore too.