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Albeit sad news, thanks goes to Jill Weiskopf (Communications Coordinator for New York magazine), for getting this news out quickly:

Today, hard-living, police-dodging artist, photographer, and graffiti writer Dash Snow has passed away at 27.

In 2007, New York contributing editor Ariel Levy wrote a feature on the downtown legend and the myth around him…

"I guess I get obsessed with people, and I really became fascinated by Dash," says [photographer] McGinley, who shares a Chinatown loft a few blocks away from Snow’s apartment with Dan Colen, whom McGinley has known since they were teenage skateboarders in New Jersey. The apartment used to be a brothel; for a long time, Chinese men would come to the door and be disappointed when McGinley or Colen answered it. McGinley shows me his photos of Snow over the years, dozens and dozens of them. Snow with cornrows, with a shaved head, with a black eye. There is one photo called Dash Bombing [pictured below] that was in the Whitney show: a shadowy shot of Snow out on a ledge, tagging a building in the night sky, Manhattan spread out below him. It’s an image of anarchic freedom, one that seems anachronistic and almost magical in this city of hermetically sealed glass-cocoon condo towers. It’s as if Snow were an animal—prevalent in the seventies, now thought to be extinct—that was spotted high over the city.

Read more about Snow and his short but extraordinary career here.

During these long, hot July nights with slim pickings on tv, I’ve been tuned into the Tour de France. Thanks goodness I like to cycle and have a general appreciation for what these guys are going through. Not to mention the sheer beauty of both the landscape and the peloton. Gorgeous. Plus, the drama of the competition is hard to match. Better than watching crappy sit-com reruns and mindless reality shows.

In that spirit, I am excited to share this collaboration between art and cycling:

Lance Armstrong and Nike® have united to launch the STAGES Project, a global art exhibition to raise funds and awareness for the fight against cancer.

Over twenty renowned artists have donated their time and creativity to express the LIVESTRONG message and raise funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which is committed to inspiring and empowering people affected by cancer.

The exhibition opens at the Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin in Paris on July 17 before traveling to the US this fall (I believe it will go to Miami). All work is available for purchase with proceeds directly benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Pictured below is a preview of what Damien Hirst has compiled for STAGES. The U.K. artist has contributed work that features butterflies on the frame and wheels making for a really interesting addition to what is in store.

Also contributing to the project are famed artists (and artPark favs) Yoshimoto Nara, Marc Newson, Andreas Gursky and Aaron Young. Without even seeing it, I know I will covet the Yoshimoto Nara bike. I can only imagine what the reactions would be if I rolled up to the start of my next triathlon on that one.

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In this time of downsizing, becoming small is hip. But what does it mean when you are already working with something tiny? Are you uber-cool? That's the feeling I've been getting about Kate Daughdrill and Sam Bush who created, curate and maintain The Garage - the tiniest exhibition space I have ever seen.

The Garage (literally a stand alone one car garage) quietly opened about a year ago – at a time when other art spaces were thinking of closing or changing course. In a short time, this microscopic space has hosted a huge number of successful events and put itself solidly on the map as one of Charlottesville, Virginia's premier exhibition and entertainment spaces. It is also becoming one of the best commercial spaces for emerging artists who are lucky enough to exhibit there. So, keep your eyes and ears open for upcoming events and put The Garage on your must see calendar.

Recently, Kate was asked a series of questions about The Garage for an article in Proximity Magazine (in Chicago). Kate originally posted this Q&A in an art blog, The Art Klatch, but has been kind enough to allow me to reprint it. Here is what The Garage is all about... in Kate's own words:

1. Does the space have a particular feeling, philosophy, or attitude? What kinds of things happen there?

The Garage is an art space/concert venue/amateur film theater/impromptu studio/potluck dining hall that opens up to a public park in downtown Charlottesville. We host monthly art exhibitions by emerging artists, weekly concerts by local and regional bands, occasional film screenings, local potlucks, sing-a-longs, dance parties, artist talks, drawing nights, etc. Creative activities occur alongside the exhibitions, allowing people to connect, make, and question together after the initial presentation of the work. The Garage's strange publicness makes the tiny space wildly accessible and yet incredibly intimate.

2. What factors lead to choosing the physical space? How was it designed?

It actually feels like the space chose us. I just walked past it one day and realized it was an art space. It belongs to the church where some of us go, so we asked the pastor if we could use it; he gave the music minister who was parking there her two-weeks notice that day.

The physical format of the Garage is perfect for presenting artwork in a "public yet private" context. After chiseling up most of the tar from the black cement floor, we installed a new laminate wood floor, which allows us to appropriate a bit of the visual language of a traditional gallery. The square opening of the Garage serves as our "frame" while the amphitheatre-like seating on the hill across the street provides a "viewing platform" for shows, performances, and creative activities.

3. What sorts of projects are in store for the space?

Along with our ongoing exhibitions and concerts, we’re also looking forward to our upcoming ambient-music-and-pancakes sleepover, our first really free market, and an exciting, relational project by Grand Rapids-based artist Adam Wolpa. We try not to plan too far in advance since we constantly have community members coming to us with ideas for shows and projects. We hope to be an organic, relational space that says "yes" as much as possible.

4. What role does the space play in the community?

We provide an intimate setting for engagement with art (and each other) in the public realm. Since it's a fairly small town, most of our regulars are neighbors who walk or ride their bikes to the space. However, each time the Garage's door is open, a baffling number of people passing by stop to ask questions about the space or exhibition and then end up hanging around, experiencing the artwork, and getting to know us. Our shows and activities often feel like mini-block parties that create a temporary site for community, collaboration, and conversation.

5. With unlimited resources, what would you do with the space? What kind of infrastructural support would you want?

Although we like our industrial, clamp-on lights, we would purchase some type of track lighting to simply the installation and gallery sitting processes. We would also buy a few space heaters to keep the space cozy in the colder months and plant a garden in the little backyard behind the Garage. And of course, it would be nice to pay the artists and bands for their time and to have salaries so that facilitating the Garage could be our full time jobs!

6. What are other spaces or places that you like?

The Garage loves the Suburban, InCUBATE Chicago, the Nest of G-RAD.ORG, the Bridge, the Project Lodge, the Experimental Station, and the DAAC.

Okay, okay.  We've got it.  Times are tough.  We've all been suffering through this recession one way or another.  But as bad as you've got it, imagine being an artist.  Now imagine being an artist and suddenly losing the use of both your hands.  Yikes!  That's exactly what has happened to Charlottesville artist Russell U. Richards.

Not long after coming out of a long term illness that literally laid him up for months; back in March, Russell made a hugely successful return to creating and exhibiting some very strong work.  Read my review here.  Unfortunately, while enjoying his new found good health and energy, Russell - an experienced mountain biker - recently went for a trail ride.  This is where we all cringe… Yup, you guessed it: Russell took an awkward spill and freakishly broke both his arms.  He is now stuck in casts for a good number of weeks.  Could it be any worse?

Instead of lockering himself at home and simply riding out this bad time, Russell is making lemonade out of his crappy situation.  Throughout the summer, while he is stuck in his two casts and unable to create new work, Russell is focusing his energies on selling the inventory of his current artwork.  And to make it all particularly sweet, Russell is selling his lemonade… er… artwork at a discount!

This is an incredible opportunity for art buyers and collectors.  Russell has turned his misfortune into a gain for us, and I strongly recommend everyone take advantage of it.  Make it a gain for Russell too.

For those of you new to his work… Russell's quirky and electrifying art is uncompromising.  He draws in a frenetic style and captures fantastical worlds from the past and the future.  These worlds, born in Russell's head, are often brutal and sometimes erotic (or both!).  His work is the complete package: imagination, story telling, beautifully crafted, and, of course, unique and creative.

Images include:

Top:  4th of July - oil and ink on paper, 21"x15".

Middle left:  Perilous Existence - four color etching (edition of 10), 6.25"x5.25".

Middle right:  Dinosaur Swamp - four color etching (edition of 10), 5.5"x4".

Bottom:  Robots (evolution) - four color etching (edition of 10), 4.5"x4.5".

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Last summer, I had the pleasure of being a member of the ArtInPlace panel of jurors. As a reminder: ArtInPlace is an annual selection of sculptures presented in public spaces (mainly along roadways) throughout the city of Charlottesville.  Read my 2008 review here.  The deadline for submitting applications is upon us – so interested artists should hurry.

Last year's panel was a large (eight members) and diverse group which made the selection process very dynamic. In the end, I thought the pieces selected satisfied the tastes and needs of the panel members and, most importantly, the public who got to view the sculptures on a daily basis.

This year, Laura has been asked to be on the juror panel. She jumped at the opportunity. This is one of the best ways to have a direct impact on what art people get to see and determine how Charlottesville gets to present itself as an art loving community to the gazillions of people who drive through our streets.

Selections won’t be finalized until September, and the work won’t be placed until October. I'll keep you posted on the developments.

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I'm often asked where I get the abundance of content to write about. Sometimes I wonder myself – especially now as we enter art's summer doldrums. But having done this for a number of years, I know there is always a story just around the corner. It happened today.

While walking down the historic downtown pedestrian mall here in Charlottesville, I spotted a famed artist with his easel up and brush in motion. People were gathering. Snapshots were being taken. Not often does this happen even in this self-proclaimed culturally endowed enclave of a town. I went to check it out. Low and behold, it was Smithfield (yes, all the great ones go by only one name). A rare sighting indeed. Outside his Virginia farm, sightings of Smithfield have been relegated to large scale media programs like The Ellen Show, Regis & Kelly, and America’s Got Talent. Smithfield has also been known to show up at the local county fair kissing booth (good marketing for any artist).

For the record... Smithfield is a painting pig. A popular artist. A famous one at that. Just the kind of artist people really can identify with. Although he specializes in the challenging genre of abstraction, he does the occasional narrative and representational piece. People eat it up. And at $50 a piece, he is on the cutting edge of making fine art accessible to the public. Gotta love old Smithfield.

Even his website is professional. I can't tell you how many artist's websites I've seen that open with an introduction just like Smithfield's:

Welcome! My name is Smithfield and here you can get more information on me and my art. This site includes my portfolio and the services that I offer. As an enthusiastic artist I am always looking to be part of a new and exciting project.

I provide creative, reliable, and timely service with professionalism and care. Please take a look around to see examples of distinctive style and let me know if you are interested in hiring me or purchasing my work.

Thanks for dropping through Charlottesville, Smithfield... and giving me something to shake my head at.

[Images include: Left, Unicorn; Center, Duck Reflection In Water; and Right, George Washington (man on horse).]

I'm all for making art accessible to the most people, but I have to categorize this as "a sign the apocalypse is upon us"....

Today, I got myself a little over hungry. Desperate for a quick caloric fix, I jumped into a McDonald's®. As I sat down and unwrapped my burger, I noticed the paper placemat on my perma-greasy tray didn't have the usual word find, maze, tic-tac-toe or any other games on it. Instead, it was a big ad for the new McCafé® coffees. What I read puzzled me more than any game. I tore off the text part of the ad. Here’s what it said:

I don't know. My first instinct is to say WTF! It's a cheap coffee served in a plastic cup - not art. But then again, maybe I should be more aware that art really is all around us. And I should tip my hat to the excellent craftsmanship of the many proud artisans who live among us.

Nope. I'm going to stick with WTF.

Richmond based and legally bankrupt electronics merchant, Circuit City, recently announced it found an original Alexander Calder tucked away in one of its corporate office closets. It is now being sold on eBay and is listed as "Famous Artwork found at Circuit City." Go here for the listing.

It's being described as "Alexander Calder's 1970 Hand-Signed Lithograph 'Wave' (This is No.113 of 120 / Size: 44.5"x33.75")". At the current bid of $1,500+ this seems like a steal, right? But, hold on buckaroo. Think about it for a second and read between the lines. Here is the made up story description of the piece:

After Circuit City filed for bankruptcy, the bankruptcy judge appointed Liquid Asset Partners to handle the sale of all assets inside Circuit City's distribution centers and corporate offices. While clearing out the remaining rooms at Circuit City's corporate office in Richmond, VA, liquidators stumbled upon something special. Tucked away in one of the office closets, they found an assortment of paintings; one stood out above the others, an original Calder. The 1970 hand-signed lithograph titled "Wave" can be instantly recognized as a Calder by its abstract flow of bright contrasting colors and bold lines. Featuring his signature "Calder Red" and bright blue with black outlining, one could define Calder's work with this one piece. Liquidators set the "Wave" aside, until further decision could be made about the artwork's fate.

I smell a fake. Is eBay really the best way to sell this piece? My guess is Liquid Asset Partners did try to unload the piece in the traditional way though recognized art dealers but came up short because LAP couldn't provide an inkling of a reasonable provenience for the piece (no mention of when it was purchased, from whom it was purchased, how much it was purchased for, no invoice, no documentation – it was simply "found" in a closet). Without the proper paperwork, this thing is of virtually no value.

For me, the icing on the cake is that the folks at Liquid Asset Partners couldn't even take a half decent photograph of the piece. I believe someone is trying to pull a fast one to make an easy buck. Buyer beware.

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.

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]

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

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

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.

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

Do you ever wonder why people pan for gold? Seems like a lot of time and effort, right?  But when those few nuggets are found – eureka! - all that work pays off. This helps explain why I keep looking at students' artwork. So much of it isn't promising at all. But, once in a blue moon, a discovery is made. This past Fall, Laura and I made one of those rare finds at Univ of Virginia... Ashley Williams is a  rare gem.

Hanging in the hallways outside the artists' studios, two large works on paper caught our attention. We were floored. Craftsmanship, detail, layered imagery, provocative subject, and very very fresh. Ashley's work had it all. Luckily she was in her studio and we were able to introduce ourselves.

From there, Laura and I have been working to get Ashley's work out to the public. An obvious decision for us was to take her work to the Affordable Art Fair in NYC. She agreed. We’re psyched. This is the kind of stuff New York needs. And we can't wait to get the reactions.

On a local level, Ashley is currently participating in a student show at the UVa's Ruffin Hall. A reception is being held this evening. I strongly recommend you find the time to attend. See firsthand what has us all aflutter.

A little about Ashley: She is from Roanoke, Virginia and will receive her Studio Art and Art History degrees this spring from UVa. She has already been awarded the prestigious Aunspaugh Fellowship and will continue her studio work at UVa next year. She has studied classical drawing in Italy and has exhibited in various artist shows around Virginia. Ashley is also a gifted creative writer (not hard to imagine based on her painting).

About her work, Ashley says this:

Like the city streets, the modern world floods our bodies with information.  Scientific advancements and improvements in communication technology mean that it has become increasingly difficult to extract the useful from the extraneous.  In response to this, our bodies function as a system that both absorbs and discards sounds, statistics and images.  However, this internal system is inefficient.  We cannot contain everything and the process of filtering out information can cause us to overlook what is most important.  Stillness is sometimes necessary.  My art, in some ways, is about reclaiming what has been filtered out by embracing the confusion, diagramming and displaying it.   It is a process, I think, similar to long-exposure photography.  Like the earliest Daguerreotypes, the lens is left open long enough for images to crowd the picture plane, overlapping each other until, like the famous shoe shiner in "Boulevard du Temple", something important begins to surface.  It is only through observing and accepting the whole, that we eventually find our focus.